Bogdanovic gets going late to lead Hawks over 76ers
Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 10 of his 15 points in the final 3:44, helping the shorthanded Atlanta Hawks to a 98-96 win over the 76ers in Philadelphia on Thursday night.
The Sixers had the ball with 5.4 seconds left, but Joel Embiid missed a potential tying shot at the horn that sealed Atlanta’s win.
With that miss, the Hawks are making a habit of upsets in Philly.
The Hawks were without seven players because of health and safety protocols, lost two more during the game to injury, but stuck with the Sixers, who were 9-1 favorites to FanDuel Sportsbook. Atlanta scored all the big baskets down the stretch.
Bogdanovic came off the bench and buried a 3 with 3:44 left for a 91-90 lead. He pulled up for a 23-footer that made it 96-92, and hit a step-back jumper with 1:25 left that stretched the lead to six. Bogdanovic missed his first 10 shots before he got hot in the fourth.
Cam Reddish scored 18 points and John Collins had 17 for the Hawks.
Embiid had 23 points and 10 rebounds for the Sixers, and hit a 3-pointer with just less than six minutes left for an 88-86 lead that wouldn’t stick. Tyrese Maxey scored 17 points.
Kevin Huerter, Trae Young, Clint Capela, Danilo Gallinari, Lou Williams, Sharife Cooper and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot all missed the game for health and safety protocols. The Hawks started Onyeka Okongwu, Skylar Mays, Delon Wright, Reddish and Collins, a far cry from the lineup that helped upset the Sixers in the second round of last season’s Eastern Conference playoffs. Collins was the lone starter from Game 7.
“We’re bringing in guys from the G League that we really don’t have time to practice with,” heaad coach Nate McMillan said. “They haven’t had time to get with us on the floor. It’s really difficult to put them in situations to get out and play on the floor. You’re limited in what you can do.”
The Hawks actually raced to a 19-point lead, getting two key points when Philadelphia’s Tobias Harris tipped the ball into the Hawks’ basket. That unofficially gave Harris four points, though only two for the Sixers.
It was that kind of start, and the Sixers’ fans let the home team have it and booed them off the court headed into breaks in the action.
Wizards 124, Knicks 117: Visiting Washington withstood a 44-point effort from Kemba Walker and a fourth-quarter rally from New York.
The Knicks had cut the deficit to two points with 2:40 left in the game, but Kyle Kuzma had consecutive 3-pointers to give Washington a cushion.
Spencer Dinwiddie had 21 points and 12 assists to lead the Wizards, who were without AllStar guard Bradley Beal after he was placed on the league’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols list before the game.
Pacers 118, Rockets 106: Myles Turner had 32 points and 10 rebounds, Caris LeVert added 24 points and 11 assists and Indiana beat visiting Houston.
Turner made 14 of 18 shots as the Pacers hit 52.8% from the field. Indiana played without starters Malcolm Brogdon (sore right Achilles tendon) and Domantas Sabonis (sore right calf ).
Pelicans 110, Magic 104: Brandon Ingram scored 31 points and Josh Hart hit two clutch 3-pointers in the second half to thwart host Orlando’s rally.
The Pelicans have won four straight and five of six. New Orleans started the season 1-12, but is 11-9 since then.
Cole Anthony and Gary Harris each scored 22 points for Orlando.
Heat 115, Pistons 112: Tyler Herro scored 29 points, Max Strus added 26 and host Miami rallied to beat Detroit.
Strus’ fifth 3-pointer with 40 seconds remaining gave the Heat their final margin.
Cory Joseph’s game-tying 3point try with two seconds left bounced off the rim.