PHILADELPHIA — Trae Young hit six 3-pointers while scoring 36 points and had 11 assists, Caris LeVert added 31 points on 12-for-15 shooting, and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Philadelphia 76ers 124-110 on Friday night, securing an Eastern Conference play-in spot for the upcoming NBA postseason.
Georges Niang scored 16 points and Mouhamed Gueye added 10 with a career-high 18 rebounds for the Hawks. Dyson Daniels had 10 rebounds to go with eight points, eight assists, three steals and two blocks. The 6-foot-7 forward has 229 steals this season, the most in the NBA since Gary Payton (231) in the 1995-96 season.
Jared Butler led the 76ers with 25 points and seven assists, and Marcus Bagley chipped in career highs of 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Bagley, who went into the game 1-for-21 from 3-point range in his eight-game NBA career, hit four 3s in the final 5 1/2 minutes of the first half.
Atlanta led 111-102 in the fourth quarter before going on a 9-0 run to put the game out of reach. Young hit two 3-pointers during that stretch.
Atlanta was trying to stay in the top eight in the Eastern Conference in the play-in tournament field and got a much-needed win. The Hawks entered the night one game ahead of the Chicago Bulls and two games ahead of the Miami Heat for that spot. If they finish in the top eight, they can lose their first play-in game and still be alive for a playoff spot.