The Atlanta Hawks suffered two early-season losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Washington Wizards, but they are oozing with confidence entering their first matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers. In this specific post, we'll be making our Hawks predictions for their game against the 76ers.

Despite being the underdog in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, they toppled the 76ers in seven games. With the return of Deandre Hunter and Cam Reddish, the Hawks are at full strength for their much-awaited matchup.

Joel Embiid will be a headache for Atlanta, but he is questionable to suit up because of lingering knee issues. Simmons will likely continue missing games for the 76ers which will make life easier for Trae Young. Over the first few games of the 76ers, it is only Embiid and Tobias Harris that have consistently producing for the struggling franchise. The Hawks will have the desire to bounce back following their Thursday night loss to Washington.

Pivoting forward, here our Atlanta Hawks predictions for their game against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Atlanta Hawks Predictions Vs. 76ers

Trae Young will exceed his usual production

Philadelphia is known to be one of the best defensive units in the association, but the loss of Simmons severely hampers it. The perimeter defense of Danny Green and Matisse Thybulle will not be enough to contain the plethora of shooters from Atlanta. Young may begin the game creating shots for others, so the space will open up for him in the latter part of the game.

The Hawks have offensive threats that are phenomenal finishers in the basket or from behind the arc. With Young being the catalyst of their offense, the 76ers will have a tough time defending his teammates because giving Young the chance to find his rhythm will raise the confidence of the squad. With his expected production in this game, he is likely to lead the Hawks to another victory at Wells Fargo Center.

The Hawks will make it a high scoring game

With Young, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kevin Huerter, and Cam Reddish, the Hawks have fantastic shooters that could heat up at any moment of the game. It has been very evident that the 76ers have been struggling offensively to begin their 2021-22 campaign. Thus, McMillan will likely instruct his troops to continue pushing the pace every possession and make it high-octane matchup.

As the pace continues to increase, it will also lessen the opportunities of Embiid to post up in their half court offensive sets. Moreover, his stamina and durability have been constant issues in his career already. If the Hawks are able to tire him out, Rivers will be forced to play Andre Drummond at the center position. With the fast-paced style of play, Young will create a slew of transition and semi-transition that will result to easy buckets.

Force 76ers guards to numerous turnovers

Aside from Simmons, the 76ers do not have a secondary ball handler to facilitate their offensive sets. As the Hawks are composed of many young and energetic individuals, they must pressure the 76ers guards, so it will be difficult for them to set up Embiid and Harris. For instance, Philadelphia struggled mightily to score in their game against the New York Knicks because of their superb defensive sets. The Hawks are not as great as the Knicks on defense, but they have the athletes to disrupt Philadelphia's plays.

Tyrese Maxey and Shake Milton are not natural floor generals as they are still inexperienced in running an offensive for an organization that has championship aspirations. Maxey and Milton are better combo guards with other ball handlers on the floor. If the Hawks are able to capitalize on turnovers, this will create more possessions for them to convert on easier baskets on the other end.

The Hawks will win a close one

Even with the stacked Hawks squad expected to win this match, the 76ers will put up a tough fight because of their desire to bounce back from last year's playoff debacle. Philadelphia still lacks the firepower and continuity with this new iteration as the Hawks will win this game by pulling away in the fourth quarter.

Bogdanovic will build off his all-around performance against Washington, while Collins and Capela will be a force to be reckoned with for the Philadelphia front court. Collins has been excellent this season after signing his max extension, highlighted by his 14/16 shooting night against the Wizards. The supporting cast of Young is just so much better than Embiid as the Hawks will likely triumph in their matchup at the Wells Fargo Center.