There is a spark off the bench – and then there is Mike Scott on Friday.
The second-year player scored 18 points, 16 in the second quarter, as the Hawks broke open the game en route to a 125-99 drubbing of the 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center.
It was the 10th straight game Scott has scored in double-figures. The second-round draft pick easily has been the Hawks’ most-improved player this season. He is getting increasing time. Scott was on the floor for the final minutes of the Hawks’ last-second road loss to the Thunder Monday.
“I just go with it,” Scott said of his increasing role as the backup of Paul Millsap. “Whatever happens, happens. If I’m in at the end of the game, I do my best. If I’m not, I cheer my teammates one. I don’t think I would have been in at the end of the game last year. It’s the maturity and hard work.”
It wasn’t just Scott Friday. The Hawks got a complete-game effort with seven double-digit scorers.
Elton Brand had a season-high 18 points and eight rebounds. DeMarre Carroll had 13 points and nine rebounds. Paul Millsap had 12 points, four rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a season-high six steals. Jeff Teague (12), Lou Williams (12) and Kyle Korver (11) rounded out those in double figures. Dennis Schroder (nine), Shelvin Mack (eight) and Gustavo Ayon (seven) were near misses. Korver extended his NBA-record streak to 114 games with a 3-pointer.
“Seeing some of the fans, that was a special feeling, but the most important thing is we had to get a win,” said Brand, who played with the Sixers from 2008-12. “We had a close one with OKC the other day and I didn’t really help the team like I wanted to help. So, I wanted to come out tonight, whoever we were playing, and help out and get a win.”
The Hawks (24-11) won their third straight over the Sixers, including both games this season. All the starters were out by the end of the third quarter.
The Sixers (15-32) have lost four of their past five games. Thaddeus Young led all scorers with 29 points.
Scott entered the game ranked first in free-throws made (65), second in points per game (8.8), field goals made (138), field-goal percentage (.486) and free-throw percentage (.802) and third in rebounds per game (3.3) and 3-pointers (30) for second-round picks in his draft class.
“Mike does a lot of the things that we are emphasizing,” coach Mike Budenholzer said. “He gets out and runs the court. He usually gets a couple of easy baskets just by running the court. Obviously, he can spread the floor and make shots. We are pleased with how much he has improved as a passer. We are encouraging him to get better on the boards and rebounding and defensively. He has a knack for scoring and he can score a lot of different ways. Really good scorers, that is what they do.”
What the Hawks started with a 37-point second quarter, they continued in the third. The Hawks started the period on a 15-6 run to build a commanding lead. They led by as many as 32 points and took a 102-75 advantage into the final quarter.
The Hawks took a 64-52 lead into intermission after leading by as many as 14 points in the second quarter.
The Hawks had no answer for Young in the first quarter. The Georgia Tech product scored 16 points in the opening quarter. He shot 6 of 10 from the floor, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range. He finished with 23 first-half points.
The Sixers had no answer for Scott in the second quarter. The forward scored 16 points in the period on 7 of 11 shooting. He finished the game with nine rebounds.
“We were able to get out and get some steals, get out in transition, and we were able to finish our defensive rebounding,” Millsap said of the second and third quarters. “They crash the boards but we got some key rebounds to get out and run.”
The Hawks return home to complete a back-to-back by hosting the Timberwolves Saturday.
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