Containing Trae Young is a must for Sixers in potential trap game in Atlanta

ATLANTA— The Atlanta Hawks have settled into being one of the NBA’s worst teams, having lost eight of their last 12 games.

However, recent history has shown that playing the Hawks (12-36) at the State Farm Arena isn’t easy for the 76ers.

The Sixers (31-17) escaped with a 105-103 victory in Atlanta on Oct. 28. That came after they lost three straight to the Hawks, with the final two coming at State Farm Arena.

Second-year guard Trae Young averaged 32.5 points in those two contests in Atlanta. The All-Star could have similar results in Thursday’s 7:30 p.m. contest if the Sixers aren’t locked-in.

On paper, this game should be nothing more than a tune-up for the Sixers with key road tests against Eastern Conference powers Boston (Saturday), Miami (Monday) and Milwaukee (Thursday) coming up.

But that was the thought last season, and the Hawks won three of the four overall series meetings. And Young is much better than last season.

He’s third in the league in scoring (29.2 points per game) and second in assists (9.0). That’s why the Sixers can’t overlook the Hawks.

Here’s a look Wednesday’s contest at a glance.

PROBABLE STARTERS

SIXERS (31-17)

22 Matisse Thybulle SF 6-6 4.9 ppg. 1.6 spg

12 Tobias Harris PF 6-9 19.4 ppg. 6.7 rpg..

25 Joel Embiid C 7-2 23.4 ppg. 12.3 rpg.

18 Shake Milton SG 6-5 4.9 ppg. 1.1 apg.

25 Ben Simmons PG 6-10 16.3 ppg. 8.4 apg.

Coach: Brett Brown (Seventh season, 209-331)

Injury report: Horford (left knee soreness) is out; Ben Simmons (mild upper respiratory illness) is probable; Josh Richardson (left hamstring strain) is out.

Hawks (12-36)

12 De’Andre Hunter F 6-7 12.62 ppg. 3.8 rpg.

22 Cam Reddish F 6-8 9.3 ppg. 3.9 rpg.

20 John Collins C 6-9 19.1 ppg. 9.7 rpg.

3 Kevin Huerter SG 6-7 11.4 ppg. 4.4 rpg.

11 Trae Young PG 6-1 29.2 ppg. 9.0 apg.

Coach: Lloyd Pierce (Second season, 41-89)

Injury report: Bruno Fernando (left calf strain) is questionable; DeAndre’ Bembry (right hand neuritis) is out; Alex Len (right hip flexor strain) is out; Jabari Parker (right shoulder impingement) is out; Chandler Parsons (concussion/whiplash/associated disk injury) is out.

The Hawks own a 175-165 series advantage.

The Sixers overcame the scrappy Hawks to win, 105-103, at the State Farm Arena on Oct. 28.

Joel Embiid hit a pair of foul shots with 5.3 seconds left to give the Sixers their two-point cushion. Vince Carter missed a desperation three-pointer at the buzzer as Philly escaped with the victory.

Embiid finished with 36 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, three steals and seven turnovers. This game was this was a serious test of resolve for the Sixers, who finished the game with just 11 able bodies. In addition, two of their standouts, Harris and Horford, had off shooting nights. And the Hawks got the benefit of a few non-calls in an extremely physical game.

Richardson took a shot to the mouth while being called for a foul on a Young three-point attempt early in the fourth quarter. Embiid was also hit in the lip during the game.

Mike Scott was ejected after picking up a Flagrant 2 foul for driving a shoulder into Damian Jones on a breakaway with 1 minute, 36 seconds left in the first half. And late in the third quarter, Shake Milton hyperextended his left knee on a spin move and didn’t return.

Despite all the mishaps, the Sixers prevailed. A lot of that had to do with holding Young to 25 points, and just 12 points after the first quarter. He also turned the ball over seven times. Young scored 13 of his points in the first quarter on 4-for-7 shooting. He shot 3-for-13 the rest of the way. He failed to score in the third quarter on 0-for-4 shooting.

Next Five Games

Saturday: Sixers at Boston Celtics, 8:30 p.m., ABC

Monday: Sixers at Miami Heat, 7:30 p.m., NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus, NBA TV.

Next Thursday: Sixers at Milwaukee Bucks, 8 p.m., TNT

Feb. 7: Memphis Grizzlies at Sixers, 7 p.m. NBC Sports Philadelphia

Feb. 9: Chicago Bulls at Sixers, 6 p.m. NBC Sports Philadelphia