Hawks aim to regroup in home tilt with 76ers

The Atlanta Hawks suffered a setback last time out, but will try to get back on track Friday night when they host the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Hawks got caught up in the New York Knicks' sensational play of late when they lost at home 95-82 on Wednesday. Carmelo Anthony went for 40 that night and the Hawks let New York shoot 52 percent from the field.

"We played a very hot basketball team. Carmelo is playing at a very high level right now. He's shooting the ball extremely well," Hawks coach Larry Drew said. "I thought there were times that we did defend him well, but he still made shots."

Kyle Korver went off on Wednesday with 25 points on 6-for-10 shooting from long range. Jeff Teague scored 15 and Josh Smith chipped in 10 points. Al Horford only managed nine points and seven rebounds.

By virtue of the Chicago Bulls victory Thursday over the Brooklyn Nets, the Hawks and Bulls are tied for the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference. They are both 2 1/2 games clear of the Boston Celtics and 1 1/2 games behind those same Nets.

The Sixers are clinging to faint playoff hopes. They trail the Milwaukee Bucks by six games for the eighth and final playoff spot.

Their chances were dealt a blow on Wednesday night when they fell in Charlotte to the Bobcats 88-83.

It was a horrendous night shooting for Philly. The Sixers shot 35 percent from the field and 25 percent from the 3-point line as they began a four-game road trip.

No one encapsulated the poor shooting more than Jrue Holiday. The All-Star guard managed only five points on a staggering 2-for-24 night shooting from the field.

"We were in a real good rhythm and we stopped moving the ball," said Sixers coach Doug Collins. "We tried to do too much on our own. All you have to do is look at 16 assists. We didn't move the ball tonight."

Damien Wilkins led the way with 20 points. Evan Turner and Dorell Wright had 14 apiece and Spencer Hawes chipped in 12 points.

Wednesday's loss snapped a three-game winning streak.

The Hawks snapped a six-game losing streak to the Sixers on March 6 in Atlanta. The 76ers had won two straight in Atlanta prior to that loss and the two teams meet in Philadelphia on Wednesday.