The top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers and fifth-seeded Atlanta Hawks meet in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Sixers and Hawks, respectively, beat the Washington Wizards and New York Knicks in the opening round of the 2021 NBA playoffs. The two franchises last met in the playoffs in 2015.
How they got here
The Sixers had to finish off their series with the Washington Wizards without MVP candidate Joel Embiid, and his health moving forward could mean the difference between coasting to the Eastern Conference finals and losing in the second round. Embiid suffered a small tear in his right meniscus 11 minutes into a narrow Game 4 loss to the Wizards and missed Philadelphia's series-clinching Game 5 blowout victory.