Hawks, 76ers eye turnaround after entering break on skids

The Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers have had plenty of time to dwell on their recent disappointing performances.

Following the All-Star break, both teams return to the court Thursday when the Hawks visit the Sixers.

Atlanta entered the midseason break on a three-game losing streak. Two of those defeats came against the Charlotte Hornets, including a 110-107 road setback in their most recent contest on Feb. 11.

All-Star forward Jalen Johnson authored another strong performance, delivering 19 points, 13 rebounds, nine assists and four steals. Dyson Daniels contributed 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting, but the Hawks still lost for the fifth time in seven games.

"We just had a lot of breakdowns on defense, miscommunications," Daniels said. "They were running guard-guard pick-and-rolls all game, and we just couldn't figure out a way to (stop it). ... Like, our communication was really bad tonight, so we dug ourselves too deep of a hole and we fought back. But we can't keep doing that to ourselves."

The loss by Atlanta moved Charlotte slightly ahead in the standings. The Hawks sit in 10th place in the Eastern Conference.

Only two East teams allow more points per game than the Hawks (118.6). Part of the problem in their recent loss to the Hornets was offensive rebounds, as Charlotte grabbed 15 in the three-point win.

"They got (a lot of) offensive rebounds, so that hurts," said Hawks guard CJ McCollum, who finished with 17 points and eight assists off the bench.

The Sixers, meanwhile, are sixth in the East despite losing their last two contests before the break. They closed their West Coast road trip with a 135-118 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers before returning home to absorb a 138-89 thumping at the hands of the New York Knicks on Feb. 11.

Against New York, All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 32 points and rookie VJ Edgecombe scored 14, but there weren't many other bright spots for the Sixers. Center Joel Embiid (knee) didn't play, nor did forward Paul George (25-game suspension), who must sit out until March 25 for violating the terms of the league's anti-drug program. Embiid has been ruled out against the Hawks.

Coach Nick Nurse wasn't happy to see his team set a season low for points, but he also didn't want one sluggish effort to distract from a positive first half for his squad.

"We've certainly played a lot of really good basketball. That's one thing that I want to emphasize for sure," Nurse said. "I don't want one poor performance to overshadow the work these guys have done and how hard they've played and a lot of good things they've done."

The Sixers shot just 37.5% against New York and missed 26 of their 32 attempts from beyond the arc. Eighteen turnovers didn't help matters.

"I think (during the break, we'll focus on) just some variety, continue to add and tinker, just some more variety to the offense," Nurse said. "That would be another thing. And then we just got to be able to execute schemes."

This is the teams' third of four meetings this season. The Hawks prevailed 142-134 in double overtime in Philadelphia in late November before notching a three-point win at home in mid-December.

--Field Level Media