Philadelphia 76ers vs. Atlanta Hawks, 02/09/2024

The 76ers (30-20) host the Atlanta Hawks (22-29) on Friday night in their fourth and final game of the current homestand. Philadelphia leads the regular season series between the two clubs, 2-1.

Then, on Saturday, the Sixers will visit the Washington Wizards for the second half of a back-to-back and the Hawks will turn around to host the Houston Rockets.

Jan. 10 marked the most recent game between Atlanta and Philadelphia, with the home Hawks winning 139-132 in overtime. Tyrese Maxey had 35 points and nine assists, and Trae Young went for 28 points and 11 assists. The Sixers wins were Nov. 17 (126-116) and Dec. 8 (125-114).

The NBA announced Thursday afternoon that Maxey and Young - along with Toronto’s Scottie Barnes - will team up for the 2024 Kia Skills Challenge at NBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis. The other two teams are Pacers’ players - Tyrese Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin, and Myles Turner - as well as recent top draft picks Paolo Banchero, Anthony Edwards, and Victor Wembanyama.

Maxey, Young, and Barnes will all suit up in the 73rd NBA All-Star game on Sunday, Feb. 18. Maxey earned his All-Star reserve selection via a vote from the league’s head coaches, while Young and Barnes are injury replacements.

The Sixers will look to get back on track after a 127-104 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday. They played without Joel Embiid (left knee meniscus procedure) and five other players due to injury.

“We just have to continue to clean up anything we can clean up,” 76ers Head Coach Nick Nurse said postgame. “At the defensive end, we have to continue to play a little more next-to-action basketball. And on offense, we’re going to have to have some of these guys step in and make some threes. They're taking them and we just have to play a little bit better with the guys that we got.”

SIXERS AT THE TRADE DEADLINE

With Thursday also marking the NBA trade deadline, the 76ers officially announced last evening that the team acquired Buddy Hield from the Indiana Pacers in a three-team trade that also involved the San Antonio Spurs. A career 40% 3-point shooter, Hield’s 1,240 threes over the past five-plus seasons lead the NBA. His 1,842 career threes at the time of the trade place him 22nd in NBA history, having moved past the likes of Carmelo Anthony, Peja Stojaković, and Kobe Bryant earlier this season.

The Sixers later announced that they acquired Cameron Payne and a second-round pick from the Milwaukee Bucks. Payne, a lefty guard with eight-plus seasons of NBA experience, scored a career-high 31 points for the Suns in Game 6 of the 2023 Western Conference Semifinals against the eventual-champion Denver Nuggets. He shot 7-for-9 from beyond the arc.

OPPONENT OUTLOOK

The Hawks are 22-29 after a 125-117 loss to the Celtics in Boston on Wednesday. They hold a 13-21 record against fellow Eastern Conference teams (9-8 vs. West).

All five starters, plus Philadelphia native De’Andre Hunter, scored at least 10 points in the loss. Villanova product Saddiq Bey scored a team-high 25 points (9-16 fg, 4-7 3fg, 3-4 ft) with nine rebounds, while Trae Young posted 20 points (8-25 fg, 2-10 3fg, 2-2 ft) and 10 assists. Dejounte Murray (lower back tightness) did not play. Kristaps Porzingis led all scorers with 31 points for the Celtics.

Young averages a team-high 27.1 points (9th NBA) and 10.9 assists per contest (2nd NBA).

76ERS-HAWKS INJURY REPORT

The Hawks will be without Clint Capela (left adductor strain) and Mouhamed Gueye (right low back stress fracture). Dejounte Murray (lower back tightness) is questionable and De’Andre Hunter (right knee injury management) is probable.

Joel Embiid (left knee meniscus procedure), Nicolas Batum (left hamstring strain), De’Anthony Melton (back; lumbar spine stress response), and Robert Covington (left knee bone bruise) remain out for the Sixers.

WEDNESDAY’S TOP PERFORMANCES

Ricky Council IV

• In 10 fourth quarter minutes, Council IV - an undrafted rookie out of Arkansas - posted a team and career-high 17 points (4-7 fg, 1-3 3fg, 8-8 ft).

• The first-year Sixer Martin scored a season-high 15 points (6-10 fg, 2-3 3fg, 1-1 ft) with five rebounds, two assists, and one steal in 29 minutes off the bench.

Tobias Harris

• Harris posted 13 points (6-14 fg, 1-1 ft), seven rebounds, three assists, and one block in 29 minutes.

Tyrese Maxey

• Appearing as a game-time decision because of an illness, Maxey played 30 minutes and tallied 12 points (5-14 fg, 2-7 3fg), two rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block.

QUOTE TO NOTE

Ricky Council IV on his friendship with fellow rookie 76er Terquavion Smith…

“Yeah, it’s been good. Obviously, we’re both from North Carolina, so we both knew of each other for the longest time. We played against each other in high school once. Played for the same AAU organization. So, we’ve been familiar with each other for a while. And then just being with him this whole summer through the two-way [contract] process, going back and forth. We’re together almost 24/7. So either you’re going to hate each other or love each other, so I think we love each other right now.”

FOLLOW ALONG

Friday night’s game is a 7 p.m. ET start in Philadelphia.

Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBA TV

Listen: 97.5 The Fanatic

The 76ers will wear their red Statement Edition uniforms, while the Hawks will wear their black Statement Edition uniforms.

@SIXERS SOCIAL