"This team is special, man," shooting guard Kevin Huerter said. And he didn't say but could have, Philly ain't.
the Hawks...knocked out Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and closed the book on the Process.
Under coach Nate McMillan, the Hawks turned into birds of prey...
Embiid, the NBA MVP runner-up, Simmons and a high-priced cast of stars were supposed to put the upstart Hawks in their place. It never happened.
Huerter, who led the Hawks with 27 points, sealed the win with three free throws and the packed house of 18,624 fell as silent as it was when the season opened without any fans.
Sixers fans let the home team have it and booed them off the court and were reprimanded by the public address announcer for throwing trash on the court.
Philly was on edge — the public address announcer even noted “it’s a little quiet in here” — having seen two losses in this series already. Playing for the season, Rivers played four reserves over the final minutes of the third that produced little offense and little faith the Sixers could keep pace.
Simmons could be playing his way out of Philly with a postseason to forget. The All-Star guard was whistled for his third foul with 25.9 seconds in the first half and took only two shots. The embattled guard had vowed all series he would return to an aggressive style but instead was invisible on offense.
He picked up his fourth foul moments into the third quarter.
Simmons finished with five points on four shots taken, two of which he made, in 36' of playing time. He did dish out 13 assists and grab 8 boards. Simmons should go back Down Under. He's at contempt level in the NBA.
John Collins cleaned the glass for ATL with 16 boards, more than anybody on PHILA. Joel Embiid was game high with 31 points and had 14 'bounds. Embiid is a star; Simmons is a dimming 80 watt bulb.
