Too much Trae Young, and Tobias Harris just looked out of sorts | Sixers vs. Hawks best/worst
By going 4-for-14 from the line Wednesday, Ben Simmons became the first player this season — regular season or playoffs — to miss 10 foul shots in a game.
This was bad.
The 76ers had this game under control until they transformed into the seventy-brickers. All that led to an unforgettable postseason collapse. The Atlanta Hawks battled back from 26 points down to beat the Sixers, 109-106, Wednesday night in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at the Wells Fargo Center.
» READ MORE: Worst ever? Ben Simmons and the Sixers will struggle to live down a historic collapse in Game 5. | David Murphy
With a 3-2 advantage, the Hawks can close out the best-of-seven series during Friday’s Game 6 in Atlanta.
Here are the best and worst awards from Game 5.
Best performance
Trae Young gets this for the second consecutive game. The Hawks point guard finished with a game-high 39 points, seven assists and three steals two nights after posting 25 points and 18 assists. Twenty-five of Wednesday’s points came in the second half.
Worst performance
Tobias Harris gets this. The Sixers power forward scored four points on 2-for-11 shooting. He missed all four of his shots while being held scoreless in the second half. The All-Star snub could never get in a rhythm partly due to the Sixers’ lack of ball movement. However, he looked out of sorts in what was a game he definitely would love to forget.
» READ MORE: Photos from Game 5
Best defensive performance
You have to give this to Joel Embiid. The Sixers center finished with a game-high four blocks to go with two steals in a losing effort.
Best statistic
This goes to the Hawks’ shooting 72.7% in the fourth quarter.
Worst statistic
This goes to Embiid and Seth Curry being the only Sixers to score baskets after intermission. Curry scored 25 of his 36 points in the second half on 9-for-13 shooting. Meanwhile, Embiid scored 13 of his 37 points on 3-for-9 shooting. However, the rest of the team shot a combined 0-for-11.
Worst trends
In the fourth quarter of Games 4 and 5, Embiid and Harris shot a combined 2-for-17. Ben Simmons hasn’t attempted a shot. The Sixers also are the only team to blow at least an 18-point lead in back-to-back playoff games in the last 25 seasons.
Worst of the worst
This goes to Simmons’ free-throw shooting. After going 4-for-14 Wednesday, he became the first player this season — regular season or playoffs — to miss 10 in game. In all, Simmons has missed 45 free throws this postseason. The Hawks have missed 35 combined.