Atlanta (3-3) at Philadelphia (3-3)
When: Sunday, June 20th, 2021
Where: Wells Fargo Center,
Philadelphia, PA
Time: 8:05 ET | TV: TNT
Opening Odds: Philadelphia -6.5/217.5
After blowing Games 4 and 5, the Philadelphia 76ers found enough in themselves to stave off elimination on Friday night with a 104-99 win at the Atlanta Hawks to force a Game 7 on Sunday. That game will take place at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia as the top-seeded Sixers look to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2001. Joel Embiid recorded 22 points and 13 rebounds while continuing to play through a small lateral meniscus tear in his right knee. He also got into a little dust-up with Atlanta’s John Collins after taking out some frustration over the inconsistent referees. The Hawks are already without De’Andre Hunter with a right knee injury and could also be without another key player. Bogdan Bogdanovic left in the fourth quarter of Game 6 with right knee soreness and was sidelined for the rest of the game. His status is listed as questionable as of Saturday afternoon. On Friday, the Hawks made only 10 three-pointers and missed 11 of 24 free-throw attempts, but still only lost by five. The Hawks made a franchise playoff-record 20 3-pointers in Game 1 at Philadelphia. The 76ers are 7-point favorites heading into this contest with a total of 216.5. The top-seeded Sixers would have home court advantage in the Eastern Conference Finals against either Brooklyn or Milwaukee. The Hawks would travel to either one of those cities for Game 1 next week.
Atlanta came into Friday’s game as a short home dog and probably needed to win that game to win the series. They still have a chance on Sunday and have already won in Philadelphia twice. Trae Young got his points in Game 6 (34) while handing out 12 assists but it took him 30 shots. No other Hawks player had more than 17 points with Kevin Huerter landing on that number. John Collins especially disappointed with only seven points on 2-of-8 shooting. The Hawks are 8-0 ATS in their past eight Sunday games.
Philadelphia was led on Friday by of course Embiid and the improving Seth Curry, who had 24 points. Curry has been an important part of this Sixers team since Danny Green went down with an injury. Embiid and Curry got help Friday from Tobias Harris (24 points) and Tyrese Maxey, who had 16 off the bench. Ben Simmons, though, remains a concern. He had six points and is becoming afraid to shoot. Philly was outscored by seven points with him on the court. The Sixers are 1-4-1 ATS in their past six Sunday games.
Not having Bogdonovic is really going to hurt the Hawks. But, they have proven they can win on the road this postseason and no matter how big of a lead Philly has, they always seem to make it interesting. I say the 76ers win by less than seven.
Check out who Bobby Babowski has on his Free NBA Picks page for today.
Pick: Hawks +7
