Taking care of the basketball won the Hawks this game
Turnovers had killed the Hawks prior to Game 4 in this series, as they were averaging 15.3 turnovers per game through Game, and they averaged 13.7 turnovers per game against the 76ers during the regular season. But in Game 4, the Hawks only turned the ball over just 4 times in the whole game!
Taking care of the basketball was essential in this win for the Hawks, especially since they were playing from behind for a vast majority of the game. If they had been turning the ball over, Philly could have extended their lead even greater than 18 at one point, which would have been very reminiscent of Games 2 and 3 for the Hawks, where the 76ers were able to blow open a lead that the Hawks could not recover from.
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The Hawks committed just four turnovers in Game 4, which was their least-ever in a playoff gamem according to Hawks PR. This was also the second time in the 2021 postseason that a team has had just four turnovers in a game, the Suns being the other team to do so against the Lakers on June 1.
In the Hawks two losses in this series, they committed a total of 29 turnovers and the 76ers took advantage of all of these turnovers to win both games by double-digits. As a result of the Hawks holding onto the basketball in Game 4, they were not only able to get themselves back into the game, but they were able to control the pace of the game.
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Off turnovers, Philadelphia likes to push with guys like Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid running the court, which is a death sentence for the Hawks since they have nobody that can keep up with these two guys in the open court. This is why holding onto the basketball is so important for Atlanta and if they can limit turnovers once again in Game 5, they could potentially pull off another huge victory in Philadelphia, potentially taking command of this series.
