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After a disappointing home loss in Game 1, the Philadelphia 76ers must make these three improvements for Game 2 against the Atlanta Hawks.
With the status of Joel Embiid (knee) up in the air, the Atlanta Hawks probably saw the opening game of their second-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers as winnable. Embiid played, but the Hawks still won Game 1 128-124.
Led by Trae Young’s 25 points and seven assists in the first half, Atlanta led by 20 at halftime of Sunday’s game. Young finished the game with 35 points, as the 76ers’ rally fell short.
Simply out, Philadelphia has to find some solutions for Game 2 Tuesday night. Leaving home down 0-2 is simply not an option if they want to avoid an upset. Holding Young in-check in the second half of Game 1 is a good starting point, but the first half created a mountain they could not climb.
For Game 2, the 76ers must make these three improvements.
3. The 76ers have to improve their 3-point Shooting
The 76ers were 26th in 3-point attempts during the regular season (30.1 per game), while converting at the 11th-best rate in the league (37.4 percent). In Game 1, they went 10-for-29 (34.5 percent), with everyone not named Seth Curry combining to go 5-for-20.
Philadelphia shouldn’t start jacking up shots from beyond the arc with reckless abandon in an effort to keep pace with (or get ahead of the curve on) Young and company. That’s not their game, with Embiid and Ben Simmons as their two best players. Getting a better performance from Danny Green will be helpful in Game 2 . More on him later.