Philadelphia @ Atlanta preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 30, 2018 ) Philadelphia 101, Atlanta 91

The Philadelphia 76ers are the hottest team in the NBA and are on the verge of clinching the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. The 76ers will go for their franchise-record 15th consecutive win when they visit the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday in their final road game of the regular season.

Philadelphia, which won 10 games two seasons ago, clinched homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs with a 109-97 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. "It’s good stuff," 76ers coach Brett Brown told reporters. "To win 50 games with two games remaining, to have 14 wins in a row, to secure a homecourt advantage, that is fantastic. At the end of the day, that is what is most true: our season to date has been exceptional." Philadelphia can clinch the No. 3 spot with wins in the last two games and is thriving despite being without All-Star center Joel Embiid (eye), who is not expected to play in the final two games of the regular season. The Hawks are fighting to finish above the Orlando Magic and out of the East basement and earned wins at Washington and Boston in the last two games.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBCS Philadelphia, FS Southeast (Atlanta)

ABOUT THE 76ERS (50-30): Embiid's absence is allowing rookie point guard Ben Simmons to step into the starring role, and he is averaging 14.7 points on 61.1 percent shooting, 10.9 assists and 10.1 rebounds during the winning streak. Simmons is trying to hold off Utah's Donovan Mitchell for the NBA's Rookie of the Year Award and believes that he should be the one on the top of the voting. "Who would I pick? Me, 100 percent," Simmons told ESPN. "I think I have been playing solid all year. If you look at the numbers, you will see. People who know the game know."

ABOUT THE HAWKS (24-57): Atlanta is trying to see what it has in its own young players and small forward Taurean Prince continues to make strides forward. The 24-year-old Baylor product exploded for 33 points on 12-of-17 shooting, including 7-of-8 from 3-point range, and added eight rebounds and five assists in Sunday's 112-106 win at Boston. Prince scored 20 or more points in each of the last three games and 10 of the last 15 games.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Hawks SG Malcolm Delaney underwent surgery on his left ankle Monday and is expected to be ready for training camp.

2. 76ers SG Marco Belinelli is averaging 19.2 points on 57.1 percent shooting over the last five games.

3. Philadelphia took the first two meetings this season, including a 101-91 win at Atlanta on March 30.

PREDICTION: 76ers 106, Hawks 100