Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks just shocked the Philadelphia 76ers, as they took Game 1 of this second-round series in the 2021 NBA Playoffs. Will Young and the Hawks strike again in Game 2? Or will the Sixers get up and even the series up? Check out our preview of this game below.
Trae Young is indeed built for the playoffs. People keep on saying he can get exposed in the postseason where teams will look to exploit his size, but so far, that has yet to manifest in the playoffs. Young dropped 35 points on 11-of-23 shooting from the field in Game 1’s 128-124 road win over the Sixers. He is making his shots from the field and the free-throw line, which makes it hard for the Sixers to play him physically. Plus, he’s a fantastic distributor, finishing with 10 assists in the series opener. Atlanta’s outside shooting was on point in Game 1, where they made 20 threes on 47 attempts — good for 42.6 percent. That was a huge difference-maker for the Hawks, as the Sixers only had 10 triples in the game. Young, Bodgan Bogdanovic, Kevin Huerter, and Danilo Gallinari are all threats from deep, and with all the spacing the Hawks have, it will be a huge challenge for Philly to lock them up.
The Hawks are 4-0 against the spread in their last four games. The under is 7-2-1 in their last 10 games overall.
The Sixers fell short in their attempt to complete a comeback in Game 1. They staged a blistering run in the second half, including a 41-point fourth quarter, but it was unfortunately not enough for them to upend Young and the Hawks. Nevertheless, the Sixers must have been happy to see Joel Embiid play as though he’s no longer bothered by an injury. Embiid had 39 points and nine rebounds to go with three blocks and a streal in 38 minutes of action. He is the focal point of the Sixers’ offense, with Clint Capela getting dominated in the paint by the Cameroonian. Embiid went 14 of 15 on his free throws, proving that the Hawks are going to need a lot of luck in slowing him down. The key for the Sixers is making life harder for Young. The Hawks guard toyed with Danny Green’s defense in Game 1, but the Sixers appear to be willing to try putting Ben Simmons on him. Simmons is one of the best defensive players in the league, and his size should be tough to deal with for Young.
The Sixers are 5-2 against the spread in their last seven home games. The over is 5-1 in their last six games in Philly.
