Both the Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers are coming off of big losses, and neither team can afford a loss against the other to drop outside of fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

Coming off of four wins on a five-game road trip for the first time since 1968, the Atlanta Hawks returned home to The Highlight Factory as one of the hottest teams in the NBA.

However, the Memphis Grizzlies quickly put out Atlanta’s flame by defeating the Hawks 96-77 Thursday night in Atlanta. The Hawks were never in control of the game. Already down 53-43 after the first half, Atlanta scored just 12 points in the third quarter, and 34 points in the entire second half.

Atlanta’s leading scorer Joe Johnson led the poor shooting night for the Hawks, scoring only 10 points on 4 for 10 shooting from the field. Johnson also failed to attempt a single free throw. As a team, Atlanta attempted only nine free throws versus Memphis’ 19 attempts at the foul line.

It looked like the recent road trip and compressed schedule caught up to the Hawks for the first time all season. Josh Smith only played in 18 minutes, taking only nine shots and finishing with a team-high 11 points. No starter played 30 minutes. In fact, not a single Hawk played 30 minutes against Memphis.

The 76ers are starting to play against more of the competitive teams in the NBA, and a tough loss at home to the Miami Heat is something Philadelphia will need to move past quickly. Having already played against the Heat; Philadelphia has to play Atlanta Saturday, the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday and the Los Angeles Clippers next Friday.

The 76ers didn’t play poor against the Heat. Philadelphia had just seven turnovers to 18 assists in the game. The 76ers simply were not ready for the intensity of the Heat’s defense, shooting just 39.5 percent from the floor.

Both Thaddeus Young and Louis Williams played big off the bench for Philadelphia. Williams, who leads the 76ers in scoring this year, shot 6 for 17 to finish with 13 points. Young had a team-high 13 points, shooting 7 for 14 from the floor.

Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen also played well off the bench for the 76ers, scoring eight points apiece. It was Philadelphia’s starting five that had the most trouble on offense against the Heat. Philadelphia’s starters combined to shoot 36 percent from the field.

The Hawks clearly wanted to give all of their players a chance to rest on Thursday, and bet a little too much on the home crowd giving them enough energy to end up with a win. In a shortened season, games like Thursday night happen.

However, it is back to normal on Saturday, and Atlanta should be ready to put on a show at The Highlight Factory. The 76ers beat Atlanta in Philadelphia on Jan. 20 by 14. Atlanta has not forgotten that and probably why they made sure that all their players are rested and ready to go for Saturday.

Just because the 76ers lost to the Heat does not mean that they are not for real. It means that they still have a long way to go as a young, potential contending team. But the 76ers are young and, therefore, have the potential to stew over a bad loss.

This will happen Saturday in Atlanta, and the Hawks will capitalize with the win. It will be a close game, though, but the scoring will be at or near triple digits for both teams.

Philadelphia is 7-3 ATS in their last 10 vs. NBA Southeast. The Under is 5-2-1 in ATL last 8 vs. NBA Atlantic. The Under is also 7-3 in ATL last 10 Sat. games. The Over is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings between the two teams in Atlanta.