Hardaway, Scott lead Atlanta Hawks in rout of 76ers, 124-86
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The Hawks prepared for lowly Philadelphia just like any other team. As a result of that focus, Atlanta routed the 76ers once again.
Tim Hardaway Jr. and Mike Scott led a balanced attack with 13 points apiece and the Hawks coasted to a 124-86 victory on Wednesday night.
All 13 players scored and eight finished in double figures for Atlanta, which swept the three-game season series with an average winning margin of 29 points.
"Even though their record doesn't show it, they're a dangerous team," said Al Horford, who had seven points, six rebounds and four assists. "They're a team that plays hard. You can't take them lightly and I felt like every time we've played against them, we're ready to go."
The Hawks have won two straight after snapping their three-game losing streak with Monday's 112-97 home victory over Dallas.
"On both ends of the court, all up and down the roster, a lot of guys played well," Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer said.
Nik Stauskas had 17 points for the 76ers, who dropped to 7-42 with their second-worst loss of the season.
"We don't have much answers for them," 76ers coach Brett Brown said. "I just feel like we didn't come out with much energy on both sides of the ball. . It sure feels like this one is not (a good matchup) and the numbers bear that out."
Philadelphia suffered a 51-point blowout, 119-68, at home against San Antonio on Dec. 7. The 76ers have lost 12 games by 20 or more points this season.
The Hawks grabbed a 20-point lead, 66-46, early in the third quarter when Jeff Teague drained a wide-open 3-pointer. Philadelphia answered with 10 of the next 12 to close within 68-56 on Jahlil Okafor's drive with 6:38 remaining in the period. But Atlanta outscored Philadelphia 20-6 the rest of the quarter to take a commanding 88-62 lead into the fourth.
Dennis Schroder scored the Hawks' final points of the quarter on a free throw after being fouled by T.J. McConnell with 1.9 seconds left.
An exacerbated Sixers fan seated in the first level screamed at the referee: "We have seven wins. Cut us a break!"
Atlanta led by as many as 43 points in the fourth.
BENCH BOOST
Atlanta, led by Hardaway and Scott, got 80 points from its bench. Mike Muscala, Thabo Sefolosha and Dennis Schroder also reached double figures with 12 points each.
"The bench, more often than not, has been really good for us," Budenholzer said. "They tend to do it with their defense. They have a real disruptive way about them and it leads to good offense, and our whole team feeds off of that."
NO BUZZ
The atmosphere in Philadelphia was markedly different than the last home game against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night. Curry's appearance created a rare buzz in the arena, and the 76ers seemed to feed off the fans' energy in a 108-105 loss that featured a late, surprising Philadelphia rally.
Brown felt the 76ers wouldn't have a letdown against the Hawks due to the lopsided margin of victories in the two previous meetings this season. But Philadelphia played lethargically in a first half that saw them commit 15 turnovers while falling behind 58-42.
The Hawks, who led by 19 points at one point in the opening half, spread the scoring among 10 players with Kent Bazemore and Muscala leading the way with 10 points apiece.
TIP-INS
Hawks: C/F Tiago Splitter (right hip) missed his second straight game. ... G Justin Holiday will join his former Golden State Warriors teammates on Thursday in Washington, D.C., where the reigning NBA champions will meet with President Barack Obama. ... Teague had three steals and is within one steal of tying Kevin Willis for eighth place on the Hawks' all-time list with 580.
76ers: Philadelphia committed 24 turnovers leading to 29 Atlanta points. ... The 76ers have lost 10 of 11 to the Hawks. ... The Hawks beat the 76ers 126-98 Jan. 7 in Philadelphia and 127-106 on Dec. 16 in Atlanta.
UP NEXT
Hawks: Host Indiana on Friday.
76ers: At Washington on Friday.