Philadelphia 76ers hold the lead this time, beat Hawks to force Game 7

This time, the Philadelphia 76ers didn’t let their late lead get away.

After blowing advantages of 18 and 26 points in consecutive playoff games against Atlanta, the top-seed 76ers held off the Hawks 104-99 on Friday in Game 6, forcing Game 7 and keeping their season alive.

But while the 76ers did in Game 6 what most people expected them to do heading into the series – beat Atlanta – they didn’t do it in a way many would have predicted.

They didn’t outclass the Hawks, and they certainly didn’t outhustle them. While the Sixers' defense was solid, holding Atlanta to 41.3% shooting from the field, they didn’t exactly shut the Hawks down, either. Hawks star Trae Young, for example, was his usual self, making five of his 10 3-point attempts and topping the 30-point mark for the third time in the series. 

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The 76ers didn’t even win behind a dominant showing from superstar big man Joel Embiid, who managed 22 points and 13 rebounds but made only nine of his 24 field-goal attempts.

Instead, the Sixers won via elevated play from secondary sources, plus a little strategic tweak by coach Doc Rivers.

The biggest key was Seth Curry, the younger brother of Golden State star Stephen Curry.

In Game 5, the younger Curry did everything he could, albeit unsuccessfully, to keep the 76ers from falling apart, drilling seven 3-pointers on the way to a 36-point outing. He continued his hot play in Game 6, scoring 24 points while shooting 6-for-9 from 3-point range.

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It was Curry's back-to-back 3s early in the second half that sparked the run that helped Philly take command of the game. He has now made 13 of his past 21 3-point attempts.

Veteran forward Tobias Harris was another key contributor for Philly, matching Curry’s output with 24 points of his own in a nice bounce-back after he scored only four in Game 5.

The other key factor for Philadelphia was more subtle and came from Rivers, as the veteran coach gave a greater load to rookie guard Tyrese Maxey, much of it coming at the expense of increasingly passive point guard Ben Simmons.

Maxey played 29 minutes Friday, the most he has ever played in a playoff game. He rewarded Rivers’ faith with 16 points and seven rebounds.

Maxey’s minutes came largely at the expense of Simmons, who had played at least 34 minutes in every other game of the series but was limited to 25 in Game 6.

On multiple occasions late in the game, Rivers even subbed Maxey for Simmons on offensive possessions, taking the "Hack-a-Ben" strategy – which Hawks coach Nate McMillan has used on occasion throughout the series – off the table.

Now the series heads to Philadelphia for Game 7 on Sunday (8 p.m. ET, TNT). The 76ers will likely be wondering if Curry can continue his hot shooting and if Maxey can continue to take on more responsibility. The Hawks, on the other hand, might be concerned about the health of Bogdan Bogdanovic, who left Friday's game with knee soreness and did not return.

Either way, one team will be going home, and the other will head to the Eastern Conference finals.

Embiid promised that he will lead the way for his squad.

"I'm definitely going to be better," he said. "There's no chance I'll play worse than I did tonight."

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