Atlanta Hawks stun Philadelphia 76ers to advance to Eastern Conference finals

The Hawks face the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.

Pa Sport Staff
Monday 21 June 2021 04:32 BST
Philadelphia 76ers’ Matisse Thybulle, right, blocks a shot by Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young during the second half of Game 7
Philadelphia 76ers’ Matisse Thybulle, right, blocks a shot by Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young during the second half of Game 7 (AP)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The Atlanta Hawks are through to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2015 after a surprise game-seven win against the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers.

Atlanta pushed aside a 0-9 record in Game 7s on the road to notch the victory, with Trae Young inaccurate but still able to score 21 points including a three-pointer which gave the Hawks a 93-87 lead with two-and-a-half minutes left.

Kevin Huerter top-scored for Atlanta with 27 points and closed out the game by making three free throws, as a packed Wells Fargo Centre in Philadelphia briefly fell silent.

MVP runner-up Joel Embiid had 31 points and 11 rebounds but conceded eight of Philadelphia’s 17 turnovers, while Tobias Harris also contributed 24 points.

Ben Simmons was one of the hosts’ quietest performers, with the Australian attempting only four field foals and scoring just five points.

The crowd of 18,624 stirred to life again to boo the 76ers off the court, with fans reprimanded by the venue announcer for throwing rubbish on the boards as the the Hawks prepared to face the Milwaukee Bucks when their final series starts on Wednesday.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in