Atlanta Hawks vs. Philadelphia 76ers: Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 11/12/2022

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET

Venue: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA

Where to watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia, Bally Sports Southeast-Atlanta

DraftKings: Sixers -3.5

FanDuel: Sixers -3.5

BetMGM: Sixers -3.5

Caesars: Sixers -3.5

Hawks: 8-4

76ers: 5-7

Hawks: won four of five; won 104-95 vs. 76ers on Thursday

76ers: lost three of four; lost 104-95 at Hawks on Thursday

I’m not sure if the records should be flipped or we’re really living in a world where the Atlanta Hawks are doing much better than the Philadelphia 76ers, but we’re sitting in some weird, uncomfortable territory with Joel Embiid and company that there’s a chance the Sixers could fall to three games below .500. Meanwhile, the Hawks could legitimately find themselves with a fifth win in six games should they complete the home-and-home on Saturday in Philly.

The teams are playing for the second time in three days after the Hawks won 104-95 in Atlanta on Thursday, a bounce-back effort for Atlanta after losing to the surging Utah Jazz the other night. Trae Young finished with a game-high 26 points but shot 7 of 21 to get there, and Clint Capela was a force inside with 18 points and 20 rebounds. That picked up the off-night effort from All-Star guard Dejounte Murray finishing with just 10 points and eight assists.

“We’ve just got to be better at not relaxing at all and not looking at that scoreboard,” Young said about his team being up 20 before the Sixers pulled within 7. “We’ve just got to finish the game.”

That’s a learning process for these Hawks with the expectations now higher than ever before. The acquisition of Murray was the win-now move Atlanta wanted to make, giving them a starting four with Young, Murray, Capela and John Collins that should rival any and all units in the Eastern Conference.

But learning how to win and how to close games is going to be the moment that people will look to in how Atlanta is a better team. Right now, this is the most talented team the Hawks have fielded in a very long time. Keeping that sustained is key going forward.

And beating teams like Philly, especially twice, is a big moment. Even if the Sixers are off to a 5-7 start, they are still one of the more talented teams in the league even with James Harden out for a month due to a foot injury. That does still put a lot of onus on Embiid and second-year guard Tyrese Maxey. Embiid finished with 26 points and 13 rebounds, but had eight turnovers in the loss to Atlanta. Maxey, still finding his way in the league, had 15 points on 17 attempts and had 5 assists.

Philadelphia shot 38.6 percent from the floor and was held to 6 of 30 from 3-point range.

“The lack of point guard play I thought was really clear tonight,” said 76ers coach Doc Rivers. “We're going to have to make an adjustment there.”

It’s all about navigating the waters for a short time for both of these teams, ironing out those kinks and seeing how good they can be. Philadelphia, even without Harden, probably expected the start Atlanta is having. But things can change in the course of a few games. Maybe this is one of those times.

But I’m not seeing that. Even with the Sixers favored at around 3.5 in some books, Atlanta needs a statement win and needs to start putting some doubt into these other teams. If Atlanta can win and keep this train rolling, this is going to create some serious narratives for both teams. Hawks by 10

Hawks are 39-46 ATS as an underdog the last three years.

Hawks are 16-36 ATS when the total is 220 to 229.5 the last three years.

Hawks are 1-6 ATS the last three years after 3 straight games of outrebounding opponents by 5 or more.

76ers are 38-42 ATS as a home favorite the last three years.

76ers are 56-41 ATS off an under the last three years.

PG: Trae Young

SG: Dejounte Murray

SF: De'Andre Hunter

PF: John Collins

C: Clint Capela

PG: Tyrese Maxey

SG: De'Anthony Melton

SF: Tobias Harris

PF: P.J. Tucker

C: Joel Embiid

Hawks: Bogdan Bogdanovic (knee, out), Jarrett Culver (health and safety protocols, day-to-day)

76ers: James Harden (foot, out)

Points: Trae Young -- 27.5

Rebounds: Clint Capela -- 11.8

Assists: Trae Young -- 9.2

Points: Joel Embiid -- 27.8

Rebounds: Joel Embiid -- 10.0

Assists: James Harden -- 10.0