Hawks commit 19 turnovers vs. Sixers, lose third straight

Meanwhile, the Hawks were a little healthier with center Clint Capela (dental pain) and forward De’Andre Hunter (left foot soreness) both starting after being game-time decisions. Still, the team couldn’t get out of its own way, committing 19 turnovers, including seven in a tight fourth quarter.

“Huge difference; we’re normally a team that does a good job taking care of the basketball,” coach Nate McMillan said. “Every turnover is costly. We had (about) 20. You can’t shoot yourself in the foot like that that many times.”

2. All-Star guard Trae Young is confident the Hawks will get it fixed soon. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution asked him why during his postgame news conference.

“We’ve won games at a high level,” Young said. “I have confidence in the work I put in. I know the guys I’m with put in a lot of work every day, too. I know it’s going to turn eventually because the guys we have work too hard. We have some guys who are still trying to figure out how to play with each other.

“When we get (Bogdan Bogdanovic) back, obviously 3s will go down more. He should be coming back soon. But we can’t just depend on Bogey to help our 3-point shooting out. We have to get better as a team.”

McMillan recently said Bogdanovic isn’t a full-practice participant and there is no timetable for his return. The sharpshooter has yet to play this season after undergoing offseason knee surgery.

3. As the Hawks look for answers on their bench, Justin Holiday was the spark Monday. He hit his first four shots, including two 3s, to help the Hawks build a double-digit lead. He had 10 points in his first seven minutes after playing one minute across the past three games. He finished with 16 points on 6-for-8 shooting.

“He was stretching the floor, making shots, which really helped us especially against zone,” Capela said. “He was big for us.”

Holiday also made his 1,000th career 3-pointer, becoming the 53rd active player to reach that mark.

“It was really good to see Justin get going,” Young said. “I know he’s put in a lot of work. He’s a shooter, that’s what he does, and he defends. So to see him get some shots going tonight was really good.”

4. Capela was sorely missed the past two games. He had six points and five rebounds in the first quarter as the Hawks built a lead. He finished with 10 points and 16 rebounds.

The 28-year-old said his dental issue is “still pretty painful,” but he felt improved enough to play. Embiid, of course, is a tough task for anybody. After starting 1-for-7, he finished 9-for-18 with 30 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. He hit the go-ahead jumper with 18 seconds left that gave Philadelphia its permanent lead.

5. Florida State product Trent Forrest, 24, gave the Hawks solid minutes for the second consecutive game. The two-way guard played 13 minutes Sunday against the Heat and logged 15 minutes Monday. Forrest had four points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals. He was a team-best plus-7.

Forrest doesn’t provide much offensively, but he’s fared well as your typical end-of-the-bench defensive-minded player.

Stat to know

1-2 (The Hawks are 1-2 against the Sixers this season. The teams conclude their regular-season series April 7 in Atlanta, the Hawks’ second-to-last game.)

Quotable

“We have to figure out how to get one. We have to get one, and hopefully that strings together and gets us some wins. In this league, it’s all about momentum.” – Young

Up next

The Hawks fly down to warm Orlando and face the Magic on Wednesday. The Hawks won the first meeting 108-98 on Oct. 21 at State Farm Arena.