Resting Hawks drop sloppy game to 76ers (updated)

Fifty will have to wait.

The Hawks rested three starters and couldn’t overcome sloppy second-half play in a 92-84 loss to the 76ers Saturday night at Wells Fargo Center. It was the first time the Hawks have lost in four games this season when resting two or more starters.

The Hawks (49-13) had a six-game winning streak snapped, only their second loss since returning from the All-Star break. The magic number to clinch the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference will remain at 10 with 20 regular-season games remaining. The franchise record of 57 wins still remains well within reach.

The Hawks played without starters DeMarre Carroll, Kyle Korver and Paul Millsap, all for rest, on the second game of a back-to-back. Korver didn’t make the trip to Philadelphia. In addition, Pero Antic (left ankle sprain) did not play.

The Hawks scored just 31 second-half points. The team’s transition game – both offensively and defensively – was not good. Jeff Teague and Dennis Schroder each had five turnovers.

“I sucked on the break,” Teague said. “It was just me making boneheaded mistakes on the break. I just didn’t have it.”

The 76ers (14-49) snapped losing streaks of four games overall and seven to the Hawks.

Luc Mbah a Moute and Hollis Thompson led the 76ers with 19 points apiece. Nerlens Noel added 11 points and a career-high 17 rebounds.

“A lot of our guys got to learn and grow,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “It wasn’t our best night. Sometimes you learn from those just as much or more than your good nights.”

Teague led the Hawks with 17 points. Schroder added 16 points. Al Horford, who had a triple-double the last game in Philadelphia, had 12 points and five rebounds.

The Hawks actually shot a better percentage than the 76ers, 39 (30 of 77) to 36.8 (35 of 95) percent. It was the first time in 41 games the Sixers won when the opposition shot a higher percentage. It was only the fifth time this season the Hawks have shot below 40 percent.

“They executed better on offense and played better defense than us,” said Mike Scott, who finished with 11 points including three 3-pointers. “Give credit to their team. They played hard. The better team won tonight.”

The Hawks took a 53-47 lead into halftime after leading by as many as 16 points in the second quarter. The Hawks used a 23-5 run between the first and second quarters to build the cushion, 36-20. The 76ers whittled away at the deficit and trailed by as few as four points, 51-47, in the finals seconds.

The 76ers went on a 12-1 run late in the third quarter to lead by seven before Schroder scored the final four points of the period. The 76ers took a 72-69 advantage into the final quarter. The Hawks are now 42-3 in games when they lead by double-digits at any point during the game.

“Give them credit, they forced turnovers” Horford said. “We really couldn’t execute on the break. That hurt us.

“Our spacing was bad (in transition). We have to be able to spread out more and make it harder on the defenders. Everyone was put together. We didn’t give our passers any lanes to pass the ball. We haven’t been good in transition a few games. It’s something we will address.”

The game featured 18 lead changes and 11 ties. The Sixers ended the game on a 16-5 run to pull away in the final six minutes. During that stretch the Hawks were 2 of 9 from the field with four turnovers.