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Sixers try to continue rare hot streak vs. Hawks

Jan 11, 2009 - 2:31 PM Philadelphia (16-20) at Atlanta (22-13) 2:00 p.m. EST

ATLANTA (Ticker) -- They were the two biggest surprise teams from last season's Eastern Conference playoffs. But the 2008-09 campaign has seen the Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers move in opposite directions.

The inconsistent Sixers hit the road to take on the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday afternoon.

Both clubs were surprise postseason participants last spring - and put up strong showings in their first-round series. The Hawks took the eventual champion Boston Celtics to seven games and the 76ers played the Detroit Pistons tough before eventually losing in six.

This season, the Hawks have built on that success, surging to the No. 4 spot in the East standings so far, thanks largely to the inspired play of Joe Johnson and Josh Smith.

Then there's the Sixers. They entered the fall as one of the trendy picks to make a splash after the offseason acquisition of high-priced forward Elton Brand.

However, the team failed to adjust with him in the lineup and got off to a poor start. Now, Brand is injured with a separated shoulder. On the plus side, the Sixers have picked it up over the last few days, winning three straight to pull to within four games of the .500 mark. On Friday, Andre Miller scored 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting to lead the team to a 93-87 triumph over Charlotte.

The Hawks have uncharacteristically lost two straight - including a 34-point shellacking at the hands of division-rival Orlando on Friday - but won their first meeting with the Sixers this season. The Hawks erased a 23-point deficit to stun Philadelphia in early November. Johnson scored 35 points to lead the way.