The Atlanta Hawks triumph over the Philadelphia 76ers with a 103-96 Game 7 victory in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Dominant performances from Kevin Huerter and Trae Young allowed the Hawks to pick up the win, on the road, and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
As they have mostly done throughout the series, Philly took the lead after the first quarter, 28-25, but the Hawks fought back to lead by two at the main break. They then extended their margin to five heading into the final period before winning by seven, 103-96.
Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris did everything they could to keep the Sixers in it, scoring 31 and 24 respectively, but each had their flaws that impacted the result. Embiid finished with eight turnovers for the game, tying a career postseason high, while Harris managed just 8-24 from the field in a dismal shooting performance, and now Philadelphia faces a long offseason of uncertainty.
After scoring no more than 20 in each of his previous postseason games, Huerter shot lights out in Game 7 to finish with a team-high 27 points. Young on the other hand couldn’t find his shooting rhythm but still managed to finish with a 21 point, 10 assist double double while leading his team in minutes with 43.
The Atlanta Hawks now go into the next round with a lot of positives, as they’ve been in fine form in this year’s postseason. After defeating the 76ers in game 7 of the second round, the Atlanta Hawks now go on to face the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals, another tough test for this young and explosive side.
