76ers 106 - 127 Hawks
Final
  for this game

Millsap, Teague lead Hawks to easy win over Sixers

Dec 17, 2015 - 12:03 PM ATLANTA (AP) Maybe it's just a win over a struggling opponent, but Al Horford will take anything to get the Atlanta Hawks functioning at a high level.

Paul Millsap scored 21 points, Jeff Teague added 18 and the Hawks snapped a three-game skid with a 127-106 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night.

''This year we've been up and down so much as a team,'' Horford said. ''This is a great opportunity for us to start being more consistent and really build those good habits that we had last year.''

The Hawks had lost 11 of 18 after starting the season 7-1, but they never trailed against the woeful Sixers, who dropped to 0-16 on the road, 1-26 overall.

Isaiah Canaan finished with a season-high 24 points and Jahlil Okafor had 19 for Philadelphia.

During their recent slump, the Hawks struggled with field-goal accuracy, particularly in the last three games, but they hit a season-high 61.5 percent behind Millsap's 7-for-8 performance.

Horford scored 17 and Dennis Schroder 16 for the Hawks.

''Offensively we played harder, we cut harder, we screened harder,'' Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. ''We moved the ball with pace.''

The Hawks had little trouble penetrating Philadelphia's defense in the first half with 13 layups and two dunks among their 27 field goals. Schroder had five of Atlanta's 16 first-half assists.

''We just gave up a lot of easy looks, which has kind been the story throughout the season,'' Sixers point guard Kendall Marshall said, ''but it's something we can get better at.''

After trailing by 23 a couple times late in the second quarter, the Sixers cut the lead to nine early in the third on Canaan's 3, but that was as close as they got. Atlanta was up by 27 in the final minute of the third on Schroder's 3.

''That's all that halftime was about - too easy, too many (shots),'' Philadelphia coach Brett Brown said. ''We had 106 points on the road, but we threw it away.''

Philadelphia, with just one win in its last 37 games, gave up 30 points off 24 turnovers.

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TIP-INS

Sixers: The two biggest blunders of the second half belonged to Tony Wroten, who threw the ball several rows into the seats on a bad pass, and T.J. McConnell, whose inbound pass from the baseline hit the back of the backboard. ... C Nerlens Noel, the team's second-leading rebounder, missed his second straight game with a left eye abrasion.

Hawks: Atlanta's previous season high was 121 points in wins over New Orleans and Boston. ... The Hawks never trailed. ... Millsap had 14 points in the third.

KEEP IT MOVING

Atlanta is third in NBA assists and finished with 32, seven above its average. Schroder and Kyle Korver each had seven. Teague added four.

''We were aggressive, not just to make the assist pass, but to make passes within our offense that eventually leads to a better shot,'' Korver said. ''That's a huge key for us. Everybody has to be engaged when you do that.''

STILL SHUFFLING

Brown told reporters earlier in the day that Marshall is the new starter, but he plans to give his point guards a comparable amount of playing time. Marshall had seven points and four assists in 15 minutes. Wroten had 12 points and no assists in 16 minutes, and McConnell had five points and four assists in 17 minutes.

UP NEXT

Sixers: Host New York on Friday.

Hawks: At Boston on Friday.






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