National Basketball Association
Atlanta 124, Philadelphia 86
When: 7:00 PM ET, Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Officials: #76 Steven Anderson, #56 Mark Ayotte, #25 Tony Brothers
Attendance: 10429

PHILADELPHIA -- Even against one of the worst teams in the league, it's still rare to win with ease on the road.

The Atlanta Hawks will gladly accept the result.

Forward Mike Scott and guard Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 13 points each and the Hawks led whistle to whistle en route to a 124-86 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night.

"It's great," Atlanta forward-center Al Horford said. "You don't get these kind of nights very often."

Guard-forward Kent Bazemore, guard Dennis Schroeder, forward Thabo Sefolosha and forward-center Mike Muscala all scored 12 points each for the Hawks, who won their second straight game, improved to 29-22 overall and saw eight players reach double figures.

Guard Jeff Teague and forward Paul Millsap also scored 10 apiece for the Hawks.

Atlanta led by as many as 43 points in the fourth quarter.

"On both ends of the court, all up and down the roster, a lot of guys played well," Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "Our activity defensively and creating turnovers is something that helps our offense. The ball's moving and we're able to get some looks and convert. I'm happy to see a lot of guys play well."

The turnover-plagued 76ers (24) were paced by guard Nik Stauskas with 17 points and guard Isaiah Canaan with 11. Forward-center Nerlens Noel and center Jahlil Okafor had 10 points apiece.

Philadelphia dropped its third in a row and fell to 7-42.

"It's one of those nights," Noel said. "But we can't have too many of those."

76ers coach Brett Brown tinkered with his starting lineup and started both Okafor and Noel. These two players haven't received much playing time together because of matchup problems.

The Hawks took charge early and never relinquished the lead.

"It sure feels like this one is not (a good matchup) and the numbers bear out," Brown said. "We don't have much answers for them."

Last Saturday night, the 76ers trailed the defending champion Golden State Warriors by 13 points with two-and-a-half minutes remaining before a stunning comeback tied the game in the waning seconds. Warriors guard-forward Harrison Barnes then knocked down a game-winning 3-pointer from the corner, but the crowd was appreciative and gave the 76ers a huge ovation.

There would be no comeback this time.

"I just feel like we didn't come out with much energy on both sides of the ball," said 76ers guard Ish Smith, who had seven points and seven assists. "As a group, we did not have much tonight."

The Hawks dominated the first half and led 58-42. Nine different Hawks scored, paced by Bazemore and Muscala with 10 points apiece.

"That was a great sign for us," Budenholzer said of his team's fast start. "We had a good defensive start and that put us in the right mindset to continue that throughout the game."

Philadelphia struggled from the opening tip as Okafor was whistled for an offensive foul just six seconds into the game. At halftime, the 76ers had 15 turnovers, five by Okafor in 12 minutes, 34 seconds of choppy play.

Atlanta pushed its largest lead to 19 and managed 15 assists on 20 made field goals.

Meanwhile, the 76ers couldn't find much rhythm offensively and hit just 4-for-17 from 3-point territory. The rhythm never improved.

"They play with great rhythm and we couldn't seem to find it," Smith said.

NOTES: Hawks F-C Tiago Splitter was out the second straight game with a sore right hip. ... 76ers G T.J. McConnell leads all rookies in assists (232) and steals (64). ... The Hawks (29-22) opened the night leading the Southeast Division by a half-game over the Miami, but are far from the level they competed at last season. Still, improvement across the board is noticeable. "I think our defense is starting to get to a much better place," coach Mike Budenholzer said. ... The 76ers aren't expected to be active as the trade deadline approaches on Feb. 18. Nothing is guaranteed. "There is no exact science to any of this," coach Brett Brown said. ... Hawks G Justin Holiday confirmed that he will visit the White House on Thursday when the Golden State Warriors are honored. Holiday won a ring with the Warriors last season and eventually signed with Atlanta.
Top Game Performances
 
Atlanta   Philadelphia
Tim Hardaway Jr. 13 Scoring Nik Stauskas 17
Tim Hardaway Jr. 4 Assists Ish Smith 7
Mike Scott 9 Rebounds Nerlens Noel 7
Mike Muscala 4 Free Throws Made Nik Stauskas 5
Jeff Teague 3 Steals Nerlens Noel 2
Al Horford 2 Blocks Jerami Grant 4
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Atlanta 124 52.2 10-20 18-25 28 52 7 13 19
Philadelphia 86 41.7 6-27 10-14 27 38 10 7 24
Upcoming Games
  • Philadelphia will play their next game on the road against Washington. The 76ers have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .167 after a loss.
  • Atlanta will play their next game at home against Indiana. The Hawks have a W/L % of .571 after a win and .565 after a loss.