(Photo credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images)

The Atlanta Hawks will try to inch a little closer to reaching the .500 level and continue to improve their playoff position when they host the struggling Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday.

Atlanta (34-36) beat Golden State 124-115 on Saturday and has won two straight games and six of its last eight. The Hawks hold a 1 1/2-game lead -- two games in the loss column -- over Orlando in the race for the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks haven't been .500 since they were 22-22 on Jan. 23.

The Hawks have become more dependent upon Onyeka Okongwu since backup center Clint Capela has been sidelined. The team announced Friday that Capela would miss three-to-four weeks with ligament damage in his left hand, leaving a larger role for Okongwu to fill.

Okongwu responded with his 22nd double-double of the season on Saturday when he had 22 points and 12 rebounds. He also had six assists and two blocks in nearly 34 minutes.

'That three-day break helped,' Okongwu said. 'But we've got to have a short memory and show no mercy.'

Atlanta's Trae Young had 25 points and 10 assists for his 41st double-double. Young surpassed the career 4,600-assist mark and owns the most assists and the sixth-most points by any player since he joined the league seven seasons ago.

Dyson Daniels had 12 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and three steals on Saturday.

The Sixers (23-47) have dropped three straight games after falling 128-120 to the host San Antonio Spurs on Friday. Philadelphia has lost 18 of its last 21 games and has fallen six games behind Miami for the final spot in the play-in tournament.

This is the second of three meetings between the clubs this season. The Hawks won the first game 132-123 in Atlanta on March 10 and has won three straight against the Sixers, including last season. They play for the final time on April 11 in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia has been decimated by long-term and season-ending injuries to Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, Jared McCain, Eric Gordon and Kelly Oubre Jr. Maxey (lower back sprain, finger sprain) is close to returning. Lonnie Walker IV returned from missing four games with a concussion and scored three points in 11 minutes against the Spurs. Both have been ruled out for Sunday.

A bright spot in the most recent loss was having four players with 20 or more points: Justin Edwards and Quentin Grimes with 25, Guerschon Yabusele with 23 and Ricky Council IV with a career-high 20. It was the first time four Sixers have topped 20 points this season.

'We didn't get the result in the end, but I thought everybody that checked in was playing pretty well,' Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse said. 'Good to see it spread around a little, and I thought Justin was excellent in doing what he does.'

In 11 games in March, Grimes is averaging 28.2 points, and he's among the league leaders with 24 steals during that stretch. Since March 9, he has scored at least 25 points and tallied multiple steals in seven straight games. Only Allen Iverson (12 games) has a longer streak in franchise history.--Field Level Media