ATLANTA - One of the remarkable traits of the 76ers is that they have been able to let go of anything negative and move on to the next game.
This is what they did one day after suffering a huge loss to Miami on Friday and traveling to Atlanta, another tough team that was looking for revenge for an earlier loss they suffered to the Sixers last month.
But the Sixers (17-7) had other plans and they carried them out with precision at Phillips Arena, earning a 98-87 victory over the Hawks (16-8).
The Sixers entered Saturday's game as one of just three teams that have yet to lose back-to-back games (Chicago and Indiana are the two others), and after suffering a 20-point loss at home to Miami on Friday, how the Sixers would come out against another good team from the Southeast Division was a serious concern.
But not for very long.
The Sixers led by as many as 20 points midway through the third quarter. They blew the game open in the second quarter when they made almost 74 percent of their field goals and outscored Atlanta by 37-20.
The Hawks made pushes here and there but every time the Hawks came close the Sixers seemed to have an answer and most of the time it came from their bench. The Sixers placed six players and double figures, a number that included all four of their reserves who played.
Nik Vucevic played extended minutes and finished with 15 points on 7-for-10 shooting. Thaddeus Young and Lou Williams both finished with 14 apiece, and Evan Turner added 11.
Jeff Teague led Atlanta with 21 points.
The Sixers were happy to finally welcome back Spencer Hawes after he missed 10 games with a strained left Achilles tendon and Hawes played a major role with 14 points and three rebounds in 32 minutes. Jodie Meeks rounded out the scoring with 10.
However, just as they got the news that Hawes, who started, was going to be available to them, word came down about 30 minutes before the game that they would face the Hawks without Elton Brand.
Brand, held scoreless on Friday in the team's 99-79 loss to Miami, suffered the injury in the first quarter when inadvertently caught his thumb in another player's jersey. Hawes and Andre Iguodala were joined in the frontcourt Temple rookie Lavoy Allen, who got his first start.
In Hawes' absence, Sixers coach Doug Collins has bemoaned the lack of fluidity in the Sixers offense, and early on it still wasn't there as both teams slogged their way through a first quarter that ended with the Sixers ahead, 21-20.
But the Sixers saw something in the Hawks offense in the second quarter and wasted very little time exploiting it.
Following a Zaza Pachulia's 16-foot jumper that pulled the Hawks to within 31-30 with 7:16 left in the second quarter, the Sixers went on a 15-4 run to lead 46-34 with 3:03 left in the half. The Sixers would go on to make 17 of 23 shots in the quarter, including going 3 for 3 from behind the three-point line. One of those threes came from rookie center Nik Vucevic at the end of the quarter, which ended with the Sixers leading, 57-41.
Following a bucket by Atlanta's Joe Johnson with 6.1 seconds remaining, the Hawks virtually ignored Vucevic in the corner. Teammate Lou Williams spotted him, whisked him the ball and Vucevic pulled up and nailed the trey as time expired.
Contact staff writer John N. Mitchell at jmitchell@philly.com. Follow him @deepsixer3 on Twitter.
