Hawks vs. 76ers Predictions, Odds, Preview

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

7 minute read

June 20, 2021

by Michael Crosson
NBA Expert
VegasInsider.com

Eastern Conference postseason action will resume on Sunday night with the Hawks and Sixers set to square off for a winner-take-all Game 7 in The City of Brotherly Love at eight o’clock Eastern time on TNT.

Hawks vs. 76ers Betting Resources

Matchup: Eastern Conference Playoffs
Expert Picks: Vegas Insiders
Venue: Wells Fargo Center
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Date: Sunday, June 20, 2021
Time: 8:05 p.m. ET
TV: TNT
Bet: BetMGM | betrivers |FanDuel |bet365 |DraftKings |Best Sportsbooks

Betting Odds - Hawks vs. 76ers

Line Movements

Subject to Change

Spread: 76ers -7
Money-Line: Philadelphia -300, Atlanta +250
Total: 216.5

After narrowly escaping State Farm Arena with a victory in Game 6, the Sixers travel back to Philadelphia for Sunday’s second-round series finale as a seven-point favorite over the visiting Hawks – which is right on par with the Sixers’ previous two home playoff matchups against Atlanta (Game 2 – PHI -6.5, Game 5 – ATL +7.5).

The over-under for Game 7 has fallen to OU 216.5 – marking the first time the total has stooped below 220 for a matchup in this series since Game 1 (O 219.5).

Joel Embiid and the 76ers look to finish off the Hawks at home in Game 7 on Sunday night. (AP)

Hawks vs. 76ers Current Form

After posting dominant four-to-one victories to start their respective postseason campaigns, the Hawks and Sixers opened this second-round series with one gigantic rollercoaster of an affair – as Atlanta jumped out to a 26-point lead in the first half of Game 1 behind a combined 7-of-10 long-range performance from Trae Young and Bojan Bogdanovic.

Only to have that lead slowly shrunken down to four points before the conclusion of the event, as Philadelphia’s suffocating second-half defense nearly paved the way for Joel Embiid and company to pull off a stunning comeback in the opener – outscoring the Hawks, 70-54 in the final two stanzas of the narrow loss mainly thanks to Young and Bogdanovic shooting just 2-of-13 from downtown during those periods.

The next few altercations looked a lot like the end of the first one, as the Sixers rumbled to a pair of decisive 16-point victories while asserting a convincing series-advantage in Games 2 and 3 – and then appeared to have Atlanta on the ropes again in Game 4 by building a commanding 18-point lead in the second quarter.

Philadelphia completely fell apart on offense down the stretch of Game 4 though, as Embiid contributed just four points on 0-of-12 shooting during the Sixers’ disastrous 38-point performance in the second half – deadlocking this series at two games apiece heading into Game 5.

The Sixers appeared to have everything under control for most of Game 5 too, as Philadelphia went into the fourth quarter at home boasting an 18-point lead over Atlanta – propelled by 31 points on 11-of-13 shooting from Embiid across the opening three stanzas.

Yet again though, Atlanta completely obliterated Philadelphia in the fourth quarter – as the Hawks erupted for 40 points on 73% from the floor across the final 12 minutes of the event, compared to the Sixers’ lowly 19 points on 29% from the floor during that timeframe (0-4 3PA).

On the brink of elimination in Game 6 at State Farm Arena, Embiid simply didn’t have his best stuff – considering the All-Pro scored just 22 points on 9-of-24 shooting to lead the Sixers’ underwhelming survival effort in Atlanta this past Friday.

Luckily for The Process though, a few members of Philadelphia’s supporting cast showed up adequately prepared for the must-win event – as Tobias Harris, Seth Curry, and Tyrese Maxey combined for 64 of the Sixers’ 104 points on 50% shooting to narrowly pave the way to Sunday’s Game 7 at the Wells Fargo Center.

Hawks vs. 76ers Head-to-Head

Jun. 18, 2021 - 76ers 104 vs. Hawks 99, Philadelphia -3, Under 223
Jun. 16, 2021 - Hawks 109 at 76ers 106, Atlanta +7.5, Under 223.5
Jun. 14, 2021 - Hawks 103 vs. 76ers 100, Atlanta +3, Under 226
Jun. 11, 2021 - 76ers 127 at Hawks 111, Philadelphia -2, Over 224.5
Jun. 8, 2021 - 76ers 118 vs. Hawks 102, Philadelphia -6.5, Under 225.5
Jun. 6, 2021 - Hawks 128 at 76ers 124, Atlanta +4.5, Over 219.5
Apr. 30, 2021 - 76ers 126 vs. Hawks 104, Philadelphia -7.5, Over 224
Apr. 28, 2021 - 76ers 127 vs. Hawks 83, Philadelphia -9.5, Under 213
Jan. 11, 2021 - Hawks 112 vs. 76ers 94, Atlanta -6, Under 223.5

The Sixers won two of three matchups against Atlanta during the regular season – with their first two meetings staying 'under' the total due to the losers of those affairs averaging just 88.5 points per game, and the third cruising over the number as a result of these teams combining for 230 points during a blowout victory for Philadelphia (126-104).

Atlanta’s lone win over the Sixers came during Philadelphia’s mid-January COVID-19 crisis, as Ben Simmons, Shake Milton, Matisse Thybulle, Curry, and Harris were all forced to sit out for health and safety reasons – resulting in an 18-point victory for the Hawks.

The Sixers were healthy for their back-to-back set against Atlanta towards the end of April though, and things played out much differently – as Philadelphia throttled the Hawks by an average of 33 points in a pair of home victories to close out the month.

(SU-Straight Up, ATS - Against the Spread, OU - Over-Under)

Atlanta Hawks Betting Outlook

Inside the Stats (2020-2021)

Overall: 48-35 SU, 46-36-1 ATS, 38-45 OU
Road: 20-22 SU, 20-21-1 ATS, 20-22-1 OU

After finishing up the regular season tied with New York in the standings at 41-31, the Hawks stumbled out of the gate in The Big Apple to start their first-round series – as Atlanta narrowly toppled the Knicks in Game 1 at MSG on Young’s game-winning floater, which was followed by a disappointing nine-point loss in Game 2.

Atlanta played the following three matchups with a chip on its shoulder though, as the Hawks stomped New York by an average of 14 points the rest of the way – which included a dominant series-ending victory at MSG in Game 5 (103-89).

The Hawks also played lights out to kick off their series-opener against Philadelphia, outscoring the Sixers, 74-54 in the first half of Game 1 – which enabled Atlanta to cling onto a four-point win despite getting smoked by 16 in the final two periods.

The pedigree of Atlanta’s roster might not be quite as impressive as Philadelphia’s – but over the course of this series, the Hawks have proven beyond a doubt they are a legitimate threat to the Eastern Conference throne, especially when Trae is at his best.

Philadelphia 76ers Betting Outlook

Inside the Stats (2020-2021)

Overall: 56-27 SU, 44-36-3 ATS, 40-43 OU
Home: 33-9 SU, 25-16-1 ATS, 24-18 OU

Aside from the first half of Game 1 and the second half of Game 5 (ATL +45), the Sixers have completely dominated throughout this second-round matchup against Atlanta – smoking the Hawks by 67 points across the other 144 minutes of action.

I completely understand the mentality of those scared off by Philadelphia’s brutally cold offensive stretches as of late – but the Sixers have been phenomenal at home all season, and I still think they are the far more talented squad in this series.

Key Injuries

Atlanta Hawks

PF De'Andre Hunter: Knee - Out
PG Brandon Goodwin: Illness - Out
SF Cameron Reddish: Achilles - Out

Philadelphia 76ers

SG Danny Green: Calf - Out

Hawks vs. 76ers Player Prop Best Bet

Joel Embiid – To Score 35+ Points (+160)

After averaging 38.7 points on 56% from the field across his first three home playoff outings against Atlanta, Embiid had another tough road expedition during Friday night’s slugfest at State Farm Arena – contributing just 22 points on 38% shooting to Philadelphia’s narrow series-extending victory in Game 6.

I’ll back Embiid to have a big night in Game 7 though – as the Sixers’ superstar appears to genuinely feed off the hostile energy that Philadelphia’s home crowd typically brings.