Hawks 100 - 105 76ers
Final
  for this game

76ers use big fourth quarter to clip Hawks

Mar 24, 2011 - 6:09 AM Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Lou Williams led a balanced attack with 17 points off the bench, as the Philadelphia 76ers used a big fourth quarter to take down the Atlanta Hawks, 105-100.

Thaddeus Young and Andre Iguodala both added 16 points for the Sixers, who hold the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference and sit 2 1/2 games back of the Hawks for the No. 5 seed.

Jodie Meeks made five three-pointers en route to 15 points for Philadelphia, which has won three of four. Elton Brand donated 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Jrue Holiday and Spencer Hawes tallied 12 and 10 points, respectively.

"That was one of the most gratifying wins this season for me," Sixers head coach Doug Collins said.

Josh Smith finished with 33 points and 12 boards for Atlanta, which has lost two in a row and four of five overall. Kirk Hinrich and Marvin Williams both chipped in with 16 points.

"They just made the plays they needed to down the stretch," said Smith about the Sixers.

Down by six, 80-74, the Sixers started the fourth on a 15-2 run to take the lead for good. Williams tallied seven points during the burst, including a layup with seven minutes left to make it an 89-82 game.

Ahead by five moments later, Philly put the game away with an 8-2 flurry. Meeks capped the surge with a three-pointer to give the Sixers a 99-88 margin with 3:15 to play.

The Sixers outscored the Hawks, 31-20, in the fourth. Philadelphia made 52.9 percent of its shots in the period, while Atlanta shot 36.4 percent from the field.

Philadelphia held a 30-28 edge following a back-and-forth first quarter.

Atlanta, though, used a 9-0 run midway through the second period to take the lead. Smith's three-point play gave the Hawks a 49-42 margin with over four minutes remaining. The visitors took a 59-53 edge into the locker room.

The Hawks led by as many as 11 in the third stanza, but Williams' trey cut the gap to six heading to the fourth.

Game Notes

The Sixers and Hawks split four meetings this season...Iguodala returned to the lineup after missing one game with left knee tendinitis...Joe Johnson had 13 points for Atlanta...Philadelphia is 22-7 at home since starting the season 1-4. The team won only 12 home games all of last season...The Sixers set a floor record for the fewest free throws made and attempted through the half and third quarter. Philadelphia attempted just one free throw by Brand through three quarters...Meeks now has 121 three-pointers this season, the most by a Sixer since Kyle Korver made 132 in 2006-07.






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