Philadelphia (50-30) likely need to win their final two games to secure the No. 3 seed since the Cleveland Cavaliers, whom they led by one game with two to play but lose a tiebreaker to, close the season with a home-and-home against the New York Knicks.
The 76ers showed no signs of a letdown from their wild 132-130 win over the Cavaliers on Friday night that gave them the inside track for that spot, defeating Dallas 109-97 on Sunday. Ben Simmons had 16 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and four steals as Philadelphia overcame a rough shooting effort from 3-point range, going eight for 27, to shoot 50.5 percent overall.
Philadelphia's 14-game run matches the longest single-season win streak in franchise history, matching the one established from December 21, 1982 to January 21, 1983, en route to their last NBA title. It also marked the first 50-win season for the 76ers since 2000/01, which was also the last time they reached the NBA Finals.
Atlanta (24-57) still have the worst record in the Eastern Conference but they have won back-to-back road games for the first time this season, with both coming against playoff-bound teams after a 112-106 victory over Boston on Sunday. Taurean Prince hit seven of eight from 3-point range and finished with 33 points, eight rebounds and five assists as the Hawks hit 15 of 35 overall from beyond the arc.
The Hawks were also highly opportunistic, turning 12 Celtics turnovers into 24 points, their highest total since recording 26 against Utah on March 20. Atlanta are trying to avoid their first season sweep at the hands of Philadelphia since dropping all three meetings in the lockout-shortened 2011/12 season.
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