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The Philadelphia 76ers trounced the Atlanta Hawks 118-102 in Game 2 of their NBA Playoffs semifinals series on Tuesday.
Joel Embiid had a masterful performance with 40 points and 13 rebounds, dominating his matchup with defensive center Clint Capela.
Embiid, perhaps incensed that he didn't win the 2021 MVP Award that went to the Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic, had an all-time great night. According to Stat Muse, this was the first 40-10 "playoff game by a Sixer since Billy Cunningham in 1970."
To support Embiid, Tobias Harris added 22 points, while Seth Curry scored 21.
The Atlanta Hawks couldn't get Trae Young going as he struggled from the field with a 6-of-16 night to finish with 21 points and 11 assists. Kevin Huerter and Danilo Gallinari had 21 and 20 points, respectively.
Philadelphia 76ers come out strong but Atlanta Hawks recover
The Philadelphia 76ers were determined not to fall behind in Game 2 and took a 28-10 lead over the Atlanta Hawks at one point in the first quarter.
Embiid and Danilo Gallinari got entangled in the paint with 1:00 left in the first half, and the two engaged in a not-so-friendly altercation.
A double technical was assessed to both of them, but Embiid escaped what could have been a second one after a demonstrative reaction.
Atlanta Hawks take lead but Philadelphia 76ers pull away in fourth quarter
With 2:41 to go in the third quarter, the Atlanta Hawks took a one-point lead, their first of the game, courtesy of two free throws from Young.
The story of the game for the Atlanta Hawks was Huerter, who hadn’t missed a shot at this point and was leading the team with 20 points on 8-of-8 shooting from the field. He wouldn't miss a shot until the fourth quarter.
However, the Philadelphia 76ers quickly recovered to take a seven-point lead at the end of the quarter.
Shake Milton made a three-pointer at the buzzer. He continued to push the pace in the fourth quarter to help extend the lead to 19 points with a three-pointer and 8:04 to go.
By the time Milton exited the game with 3:36 to go, the Philadelphia 76ers had taken a 114-97 point lead over the Atlanta Hawks, who couldn’t keep up.
He scored 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and 4-of-5 from the three-point arc in just 11 minutes of playing time.
Ultimately, this was a team effort that led to a big win by the Philadelphia 76ers.
With Embiid playing at a high level, the Philadelphia 76ers have now tied the series 1-1 heading into Game 3 in Atlanta.
The Atlanta Hawks will try to recover from this drubbing by getting inspiration from their home crowd on Friday.
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