Hawks 107, 76ers 96
ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Hawks overcame a dismal start to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 107-96 Wednesday night at Philips Arena, ending a three-game losing streak.
Coming off a six-game, 10-day road trip, the Hawks (34-26) couldn't buy a basket until Josh Smith's layup at 7:01 of the opening period, but after managing to tie the game 12-12 at 4:10, Atlanta took off.
Jeff Teague scored 27 points and had 11 assists, and Anthony Tolliver had his best game as a Hawk, scoring 21 points, including five 3-point shots; he also had eight rebounds.
Al Horford, whose string of consecutive 20-point games ended with an 18-point game against the Denver Nuggets on Monday, scored 21 points and had 12 rebounds. Smith was held to 13 points and six rebounds.
Kyle Korver's 23-foot jump shot at 6:14 in the first quarter extended to 53 his streak of consecutive games hitting at least one 3-point basket. He finished with nine points.
The Sixers (23-37), who came into the game having beaten the Hawks six straight games but who were on the second night of a back-to-back set -- they lost 109-101 to the Boston Celtics at home -- appeared dispirited after the Hawks snapped out of their first-quarter funk. Once the game was tied in the first quarter, the Sixers dragged through the rest of the first half.
They came out re-energized to start the third quarter, closing to within three points, 68-65, at 5:37. But the Hawks spurted ahead once again and led by 21 points, 91-70, at the end of the quarter.
Thaddeus Young scored the first six points of the game -- by either team -- and finished with 16 points and six rebounds, and Dorell Wright had 20 points. Spencer Hawes pulled down 11 rebounds and added eight points. Damien Wilkins, who had 12 points through three quarters, ended up with a season-high 21. Jrue Holliday, the Sixers' All-Star, had only 11 points -- and only four through the first three quarters -- but he had 12 assists.
Philadelphia has now lost 10 of its last 11 games.
NOTES: The Hawks signed guard Shelvin Mack to a 10-day contract; recalled rookie forward Mike Scott from the Bakersfield Jam, their NBA Development League affiliate; and waived forward/center Jeremy Tyler, acquired from the Golden State Warriors on Feb. 21. Mack signed two 10-day contracts with the Sixers on Jan. 17 and Jan. 28; Tyler played five minutes in the March 4 game at the Denver Nuggets. ... Hawks coach Larry Drew has been wanting a speedy point guard to back up Jeff Teague and Devin Harris for those times when he wants to start both of them, as he did for Wednesday's game, hence the Mack signing. ... Zaza Pachulia missed another game -- his second consecutive and eighth since Jan. 23 -- with a sore right Achilles. ... The Sixers beat writers converged on former Sixer Lou Williams as soon as the Hawks' locker room opened. Williams, well regarded from his days in Philadelphia, where he played 455 games from 2005-12, is out for the season with a torn right ACL. "I miss Lou Williams," Sixers coach Doug Collins said before the game. "One of my favorite guys." Williams did a segment for the Sixers' pregame show. ... Korver, who played for the Sxiers from 2003 through part of the 2007-08 season, was greeted warmly by Sixers media and personnel as well.
