Miami Heat

Not everything is going according to plan for the Sixers, mostly because Key players missed time.

James Harden (injured) will be sidelined for the next month, a Huge blow to an offense with the sixth-lowest scoring average (108.9). Before Harden’s absence, the Sixers had an offensive rating of 115.3, seventh in the NBA. However, in two games without him, Philadelphia’s offensive rating has dropped to just 104.6. That should be no surprise since Harden is the best playmaker in Philadelphia.

In addition, Joel Embiid missed three games due to illness, and the Sixers led 1-2. However, Embiid didn’t appear to skip a beat as he scored 33 points in Game 1 of Monday’s win over Phoenix. With Embiid back on the court, Philadelphia is an unstoppable force.

After reaching the Eastern Conference finals in 2021, the Atlanta Hawks all but missed the 2022 playoffs. The Eagles seem to have corrected some of their shortcomings and walked out of the gate in full swing.

Perhaps the most significant difference in this team is the addition of Dejounte Murray. He exceeded Atlanta’s expectations, averaging 22.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 8.4 assists, and 2.5 steals.

Murray has brought new energy to this team on both ends of the floor. However, it’s becoming increasingly clear that he’s far more impactful on the defensive end.

Philly and Atlanta are both defensive-minded teams, and their opponents have had a tough life so far.

However, the problem Philadelphia has had through 11 games has been consistency on offense paired with great defense. Philadelphia’s shooting efficiency was high, but that didn’t translate to many points, as the 76ers’ Pace was 25th in the NBA and had just 96.83 offensive possessions per game.