By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Tip-off: 7:30 pm ❖ Location: Atlanta, GA ❖ TV: NBCSP ❖ Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
The Philadelphia 76ers (50-30) take their 14-game winning streak on the road to Atlanta this evening for a match-up with the Hawks (24-57). If the Sixers come out of Atlanta with their 15th consecutive victory, it'll be a franchise-record for consecutive wins in a single-season. Philadelphia has not lost on the road since March 8 and they currently sit in third place, a half game ahead of the idle Cavs heading into tonight's game.
Rookie point guard Ben Simmons was questionable due to a bout of gastroenteritis, but Brett Brown told 97.5 The Fanatic that he expects Ben to play. It seems like every player on the roster has gone through it at some point this season. If Simmons is not at full strength, we could see Markelle Fultz get extended minutes.
These two teams met less than two weeks ago in Atlanta with Philadelphia winning 101-91. Ben Simmons notched his ninth triple-double in that game while former Hawk Ersan Ilyasova scored a game-high 21 points.
Tonight's match-up features two of the youngest rosters in the NBA, with the Sixers at 25.6 and the Hawks at an average of 25.1, both well below the league average of 26.5. The Sixers are much further along in their development, despite their young age, while Atlanta seems to be at the beginning of a rebuild phase in the organization.
Philadelphia comes in on an impressive streak of 14-straight wins, which is tied for a single-season franchise record. They've surpassed most everyone's expectations by winning 50 games and with the injuries plaguing some of the Eastern Conference playoff teams, there's optimism out there that the Sixers could end up in the Eastern Conference Finals. Seems crazy to think that just two seasons ago, this was a 10-win team.
"We are growing a culture," Brett Brown said after Sunday's game. "And, oh by the way, we've won 50 games and we have home-court advantage and we've tied a record. That's true. But that is never really what's most on my mind."
The Sixers were in control for a majority of their game against Dallas, winning by a final score of 109-97. They led 61-48 at halftime, but the Mavericks cut the deficit to four late in the third quarter. That's as close as they would get though as the Sixers would go on to score the next eight points, extending their advantage back into double-digits, 87-76, at the beginning of the fourth en route to a 13-point victory over the Mavericks.
Ben Simmons finished with 16 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. JJ Redick led Sixers scorers with 18 while Robert Covington and Marco Belinelli each contributed with 15 a piece.
Meanwhile, the Hawks have won two in a row against Eastern Conference playoff teams, defeating the Wizards and Celtics after dropping two straight to Miami. Their most recent win, 112-106 over Boston, may have been due to the Celtics resting their starters in the fourth quarter. Trailing by as many as 13 in the final 12 minutes, the Hawks put together a 10-2 run to cut the lead to four with just over seven minutes to play.
After Boston re-upped their lead to seven, Atlanta responded with seven straight points to tie things up at 99. With 1:01 to go and the game locked at 106, the Hawks scored the final six points of the game to complete the upset. Tauren Prince led the Hawks with 33 points on 12-for-17 shooting and 7-for-8 from beyond the arc.
| Matchup Preview | April 10, 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Philadelphia 76ers (50-30, 21-19 Away) |
Atlanta Hawks (24-57, 16-24 Home) |
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