NBA Playoffs dispatches: Nic Batum stars for Sixers, Bulls end Hawks’ unpleasant season

The other half of the Eastern Conference playoff image is beginning to take shape. After whipping the Miami Heat at home on Wednesday and clinching the No. 7 seed, the Philadelphia 76ers will play the No. 2 seed New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.

Then, the No. 9 seed Chicago Bulls knocked the No. 10 seed Atlanta Hawks out of the Play-In Tournament. The Bulls will play the Sixers for the No. 8 seed on Friday.

Here are the huge takeaways from the videogames:

76ers 105, Heat 104

When the Sixers lastly finished the James Harden trade with the Los Angeles Clippers earlier this season, most of the focus was on the plan of chooses Daryl Morey had got in return. And for excellent factor — the objective of that offer was to get properties that might be utilized in a future trade for a star.

But internally, the Sixers were likewise delighted about getting Nicolas Batum in the offer. They enjoyed his videogame and thought he was a best function gamer to slot alongwith Joel Embiid. He might haveactually been up there in age (he turned 35 in December). But he was a strong and clever protector, a excellent shooter and an amazing passer. He’s the kind of gamer who’s constantly made his groups muchbetter. 

“He’s unique,” Embiid informed pressreporters justrecently early in the season. “With the method we play, he simply fits whatever we require. Great shooter, excellent protector, fantastic passer, excellent basketball IQ. He simply fits whatever we require.”

Yet even Batum’s most ardent boosters couldn’t have imagined what he did Wednesday night in the play-in competition. One method to put it is that he drilled 6 3-guidelines and scored 20 points (!4.5 more than his season typical) in Philly’s 105-104 nail-biter of a win over the Heat. The other method to put it is that he conserved the Sixers’ season.

He put in work on the defensive end, too:

The Sixers required every one of those points Wednesday night. Embiid racked up 23 points, 15 rebounds and 5 helps, however was simply 6-for-17 from the field and appeared to invest half the videogame capturing his breath while getting his shorts. The Heat went to a zone defense early in the videogame and it flummoxed the Sixers all night. Tyrese Maxey completed with simply 19 points and simply 1-for-6 from deep while the Sixers turned the ball over 15 times. 

If not for Batum’s heroics, they’d mostlikely be headed for a wim-or-go-home play-in videogame Friday night versus either the Chicago Bulls or Atlanta Hawks.  

Instead, they’ll take on the No. 2 seed New York Knicks in a best-of-seven series. They won’t advance if Embiid continues to appearance as slow as he did Wednesday night. But thanks to Batum, Embiid now has an additional coupleof days to get his legs under him. If he does, the Sixers have a shot.

Bulls 131, Hawks 116

The Hawks’ pitiful season hasactually come to an end. We might talk about this play-in videogame however, actually, do you really care? The Bulls now face the Heat Friday night for the benefit of taking on the Boston Celtics in the veryfirst round. Congratulations to them.

So let’s talk about the Hawks rather. This was an humiliating efficiency in a season complete of them. They gaveup 40 initially quarter points. Trae Young was simply 4-for-12 from the flooring and a minus-27 on the night. They permitted the Bulls to shoot 56.8% from the field. Which, in the end, may really be a excellent thing for Hawks fans, and individuals who takepleasurein viewing enjoyable basketball groups. Maybe the Hawks’ brain trust will now recognize that this Trae Young-Dejounte Murray pairing is no excellent.

Here are the numbers: When Young played this season without Murray, the Hawks outscored challengers by 3.1 points per 100 belongings, according to Cleaning the Glass. When Murray played without Young, that number was 0.8. Not amazing, however still a favorable mark.

But when Young and Murray shared the flooring? In those minutes, the Hawks were outscored by 6.4 points per 100 belongings. 

This would be a issue if these gamers weren’t both on mega agreements. The truth that they are just makes this all evenworse. If they wear’t make any modifications, the Hawks next season will be committing almost half the income cap to 2 gamers who puton’t fit with each other. Keeping them together would be malpractice. 

It doesn’t matter who they trade. But the Hawks requirement to select one. Maybe they can re-engage the Lakers. Maybe the Spurs or Magic are interested in including a guard. But there will be interest in both of these gamers. It’s time for the Hawks to make a relocation and reset. 

Yaron Weitzman is an NBA author for FOX Sports and the author of Tanking to the Top: The Philadelphia 76ers and the Most Audacious Process in the History of Professional Sports. Follow him on Twitter @YaronWeitzman.