Short-handed Hawks beat favored 76ers
Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 10 of his 15 points in the final 3:44, helping the shorthanded Atlanta Hawks to a 98-96 win against the host Philadelphia 76ers.
The 76ers 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 76ers, who were 9-1 favorites against Atlanta, which 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 stepback 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 76ers, and hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with just under 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 76ers 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,” 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 2 key points when Philadelphia’s Tobias Harris tipped the ball into the Hawks’ basket.
That unofficially gave Harris 4 points, though only 2 for the 76ers.
Other games
Pacers 118, Rockets 106: Myles Turner had 32 points and 10 rebounds and Caris LeVert had 24 points and 11 assists as host Indiana beat Houston. Turner made 14 of 18 shots as the Pacers hit 52.8% from the field. Chris Duarte scored 18 points and Jeremy Lamb had 16 for Indiana, which 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 an Orlando rally, as visiting New Orleans beat the Magic. The Pelicans have won four in a row and five of six. New Orleans started the season 1-12 but is 11-9 since. Hart scored 22 points and hit two straight 3s after Orlando had climbed within 93-90 with five minutes remaining.
Heat 115, Pistons 112:
Tyler Herro scored 29 points and Max Strus added 26 as host Miami rallied to beat short-handed Detroit. Strus’ fifth 3-pointer with 40 seconds remaining gave the Heat their final margin. Cory Joseph’s game-tying 3-point attempt with two seconds left bounced off the rim and was rebounded by Miami reserve forward Udonis Haslem. Kyle Lowry scored 21 points and Gabe Vincent finished with 15 for the Heat.
Wizards 124, Knicks 117:
Visiting Washington withstood a 44-point effort from Kemba Walker and a fourth-quarter rally by New York. The Knicks had pulled within two points with 2:40 left in the game, but Kyle Kuzma hit consecutive 3-pointers to give Washington an insurmountable lead. Spencer Dinwiddie had 21 points and 12 assists to lead the Wizards, who were without All-Star guard Bradley Beal after he was placed on the league’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols list before the game.
Bucks 102, Mavericks 95:
Khris Middleton scored 26 points as visiting Milwaukee beat Dallas with the superstar for each team sidelined because of COVID- 19. The Bucks were without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo for the fifth consecutive game because of health and safety protocols. Luka Doncic sat for the first time for that reason.