Tonight, the Sixers defeated the visiting Atlanta Hawks 118-102 in game 2 of the teams’ semifinal matchup. Philadelphia’s win evened the series at 1-1.
Coming into the game, two key questions hung in the air for Doc Rivers’ squad: How will the Sixers defend Trae Young more effectively? and How can they survive minutes from the bench?
The first question was answered quite simply: sic Defensive Player of the Year candidate Ben Simmons on him. I’ll be interested to see how the matchup data stacks up tomorrow, but to my eye, Young could barely do a thing with Simmons nearby.