The Atlanta Hawks upset the Philadelphia 76ers 128-124 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at Wells Fargo Center on Sunday, leading 1-0 in the series.

Despite the close final score, most would have thought the game was long gone after watching the first half in which the Hawks led 74-54. In fact, the first 16 minutes of the game were nothing but a nightmare to the 76ers. They watched Trae Young march through their defense without encountering any resistance and drop 25 points plus seven assists.

From Danilo Gallinari making his first free throw at 0:47 in the first quarter to Bogdan Bogdanovic draining his third 3-pointer at 9:22 in the second quarter, the 76ers got no point at all and watched their trail grow from 10 (37-27) to 26 (53-27).

The 76ers had only themselves to blame. Offensively they 12 turnovers in the first half, giving the Hawks way too many easy points in the fast break; defensively, they somehow refused to double team Young, giving him comfortable chances to shoot floaters and triples after screen.

Fortunately for the 76ers, they cleared their head in the second half and began to play the game in the right way. Ben Simmons began to cover Young, and others never hesitated to trap the 1.85-meter-tall guard when he called screen. As for others of the Hawks, though they had several role players who could deal with the ball, the 76ers had enough defensive resources to limit them by switching.

Such aggressive defense also liberated Simmons so he could spread his wings driving early offense and charging the rim on an opener floor. Simmons had a double-double of 17 points and 10 assists, though his free throw shooting (3-10) could still use some improvement.

Tobias Harris and Seth Curry made their contributions as well by putting down 20 points, 10 rebounds and 21 points, five triples.

And then there was Joel Embiid, who beat a small lateral meniscus tear with his right knee to appear in Sunday's home game. As most had expected, he destroyed the Hawks' paint going 12-21 on the field and 14-15 at the free-throw line to score 39 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. 22 of his points happened in the second half when the 76ers came so close, tying the score.

The Hawks are unlikely to remain as hot as 20-27 from the 3-point line in the following games, as long as the 76ers stop enabling them to do so with their absurd defensive choices. Embiid's advantage will always be there, but so will be that of Young. At least now, the Hawks are the leading side.

Dallas Mavericks 111-126 Los Angeles Clippers (3-4)

Finally, someone achieved victory at home in this series and the Clippers found their 3-point shooting back as well, shooting 20-43 at Staples Center on Sunday. Seven of their players reached double-digit points and each of them made at least one shot from downtown.

Kawhi Leonard missed one assist for a triple-double dropping 28 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, not to mention his remarkable efficiency of 10-15 in field goals. Paul George was struggling in FGs, but he was perfect 10-10 at the free-throw line and delivered 10 assists.

Marcus Morris became the biggest surprise for the Clippers in Game 7 after burying seven of his nine attempts beyond the arc to score 23 points. Considering that he also switched to defend Luka Doncic in many cases and fell into foul trouble in the second half, Morris' contribution was even more valuable than the stats could show.

The Clippers will meet the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference semifinals. Game 1 of that series will take place at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Tuesday.

By contrast, Doncic again shot all the ammo he had left, claiming 46 points, seven rebounds and 14 assists. He had 19, 10 and 11 points in Q1, Q2 and Q4 respectively, When the opponents double-teamed him in the hardest way in Q3, Doncic delivered five assists.

"Oh man, he did everything. Shooting it very efficiently, from 3 for sure, off-the-dribble shots, just doing it all for his team. He's a great player. You're going to see him for many years to come. He's playing at his own pace, making it look easy out there," said Leonard of Doncic.

However, none of that meant anything because, unlike Leonard, Doncic struggled to find enough help from his teammates. Tim Hardaway Jr. was injured in Game 7; Boban Marjanovic fight for 31 minutes on the court, dragging that huge body of his, and got a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds; Dorian Finney-Smith already outperformed himself, draining four triples and grabbing six offensive rebounds.

As for Kristaps Porzingis, the fans can forget his 0-5 triple shooting in Game 7. Unfortunately, the Mavericks cannot forget his $31.7-million salary this year and the fact his contract won't come due until 2024 summer (player option in 2023).

Despite his epic performance in the series, Doncic said he proved nothing. "We made the playoffs twice since I've been here. We lost both times. In the end, you get paid to win. We didn't do it," said the 22-year-old.

There are not many big fish on the free agency market in the coming NBA offseason, but the Mavericks' front office needs to do something if they don't want to waste Doncic's best years.