I'm not expecting Joel Embiid to play. Nice bonus if he does, but I'm certainly not counting on that. The 76ers know how to win without him especially with adequate preparation time, which is the case here. The 76ers closed out the Wizards at home without Embiid. They beat Washington by 17 points despite not playing that well. 

Philadelphia is 32-7 at home. The Hawks are not a strong road club. Atlanta went 0-6 during its last six regular-season away contests versus opposing playoff teams, including a pair of blowout losses to the 76ers in late April. The 76ers won those two home games by an average of 33 points! Atlanta is 1-5 ATS in its last six visits to Philadelphia. 

The 76ers have steadily been building for this moment. The Hawks have done well to advance this far. However, they are young and lack playoff experience. They have not paid their playoff dues to oust the 76ers even if Embiid sits out this series opener. 

Atlanta's defense greatly improved when Nate McMillan replaced Lloyd Pierce. But the Hawks' defense isn't at the 76ers' top-six level. The 76ers aren't going to sacrifice much on the boards either without Embiid since they have Dwight Howard and Mike Scott to fill in those minutes.