Clutch free throws help Hawks down 76ers

But the Hawks forced the 76ers to go 0-for-2 from the field on their go-ahead attempts before Alexander-Walker was fouled.

“It was big tonight,” Hawks forward Jalen Johnson said. “Dyson (Daniels) played great. Zacch (Risacher) played great. There’s so many guys that played great. Obviously, shots weren’t falling for me and Nickeil tonight — that just shows you how deep our team is — and guys stepped up when we needed them all. So that was big.”

Quick stats

Daniels had 27 points and 10 rebounds. Hawks center Onyeka Okongwu had his sixth double-double of the season, finishing with 20 points, 15 rebounds. Risacher scored 15 points, while Vit Krejci had 19 points off the bench.

Johnson (12 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists) finished with his fourth consecutive triple-double.

Key moment

Late in the game, the Hawks successfully challenged an out of bounds call that officials initially ruled 76ers’ ball. With 2.5 seconds to play in the game, the Hawks looked to run a sideline out of bounds play, but after the 76ers defense left the Hawks no options, Johnson had to call timeout to prevent a turnover.

After the timeout, the Hawks looked to run the play again and Johnson got the ball inbounds with Alexander-Walker heading into the backcourt, where he was fouled.

The 76ers argued that officials should have called a backcourt violation, but they’d burned their challenge earlier in the quarter and officials did not review the call. Alexander-Walker went to the line and sank two free throws.

Highlight play

Okongwu did a little of everything Sunday. The center has flashed his passing skills throughout his career, and he did it again Sunday with a bounce pass to Daniels for a quick dunk.

With 10:37 to play in the second quarter, Daniels had a quick handoff to Okongwu on the wing before slipping behind three Philadelphia defenders. Okongwu quickly threaded the needle to beat them and find Daniels open in the lane.

What they said

“I was a little more aggressive, going downhill to score. A lot of times I had two feet in the paint, trying to make the right decision. But I think once you score, it opens up everything else a little bit more. And the lane was just opening up for me. So I was able to get on the rim a little bit.” — Daniels on his scoring.

“Well, sometimes we still have to remind him he can score the ball in the paint, too, but it’s great seeing O just shoot with that confidence. It’s big for our team. It’s big for him just knowing that, like, what that does for our offense, … just with his ability you got to respect it. It’s not no fluke. It’s something that’s legit.” — Johnson on Okongwu’s shooting night.

“Love it. Really, always got to give him the ball, this year and last year. So it’s good to see him actually elevating his game and, you know, taking those shots when we need it.” — Okongwu on Krejci.

“I feel great. Like, I say, every time, every game is a new opportunity to go out there and play hard and I was feeling good today.” — Risacher on shooting in rhythm Sunday.

Up next

The Hawks have the next three days off before they head to Charlotte on Thursday to face the Hornets.