The Philadelphia 76ers (45-22) looked to build on their four-game winning streak against the Washington Wizards (31-37), who previously ended their longest winning streak of the season in December. Joel Embiid straight-up dominated and led the Sixers to a 112-93 win.
Let's break down the Sixers' win over the Wizards.
Sixers player notes:
Joel Embiid: 34 points,8 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks, 12-21 FG shooting
Embiid was once again great — or, to use his words, unguardable — against a lackluster defense, setting the tone for Philly dominance with 22 points at halftime. He opted to take shots over multiple defenders rather than pass to the open guy on several occasions. But he did end up making those shots and still made plays for his teammates. He wasn't offering any breathing room for Washington on defense, either.
Both of Embiid's 50-burgers on the season came when the Sixers went retro and wore their city uniforms in addition to this performance. He truly does love putting on for Philadelphia.
James Harden: 18 points, 2 rebounds, 14 assists, 6-11 FG shooting
Harden injected the energy by pushing the pace and getting everyone involved. He had a double-double with over 16 minutes of game time left and shot the ball very well. The stakes were obviously not high so this performance will likely not be remembered but this was perhaps one of his best performances of the season.
Tyrese Maxey: 8 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 3-9 FG shooting
This was another game where Maxey wasn't good on offense but did provide support on the defensive end. He made Monte Morris work, pressuring him as he came up the court and containing him in isolation.
De'Anthony Melton: 10 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, 3-5 FG shooting
Shocker: Melton impacted the game from various angles. In the second half specifically, he was a defensive pest and came through with some solid beyond-the-arc shooting while pulling down a few tough rebounds.
Wizards player notes:
Bradley Beal: 13 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 5-12 FG shooting
Beal started off strong but eventually was fazed by the Sixers' aggressive defense. He took contact and sunk tough shots but didn't get up the normal volume of shots he does. Nor did he make up for it with a playmaking bonanza. Without its star going, the Wizards couldn't make up for the points they surrendered on the other end.
Kristaps Porzingis: 9 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks, 4-15 FG shooting
Only one game removed from a stellar game that earned him a never-before-seen accomplishment, Porzingis was inauspicious in this one. He had more fouls than field goals entering the fourth quarter and although he provided some defensive resistance, his efforts were next to futile.
Corey Kispert: 25 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 9-13 FG shooting
The spark Kispert provided off the bench kept this game respectable, especially in the second quarter. He tied his career-high in points and was impressively efficient. Microwave scoring nights are too infrequent for the Gonzaga product to be seen as a legitimate building block but he does have the potential to be a very solid player for a long time.
Game recap:
1st half
Tobias Harris matched up with Beal while P.J. Tucker guarded Porzingis. Daniel Gafford took on the Embiid assignment (with Porzingis not too far away, playing off of tucker) while Beal guarded Harden. The Sixers struck first as Embiid drew a foul while Gafford was fiddling with his headband, trying to throw it out of bounds under the basket before realizing Embiid was charging ahead. The “6:00 P.M. on a Sunday” vibes needed some shaking off.
Philly built a lead by holding the Washington offense in check, navigating screens and rotations well and forcing Beal and company into tough shots. The Sixers forced turnovers and found easy buckets in transition, going up 16-6 less than eight minutes into the game. Harden connected with Embiid on that backwards between-the-legs pass that he loves to push the lead further.
The Sixers bench shared the ball very well and kept a double-digit lead going. Porzings played with Washington's reserves but didn't always respond favorably to the physicality he saw. Jalen McDaniels provided some solid scoring with his timely relocating but injured his right hip and was ruled out for the remainder of the game. Danuel House Jr. filled in for him.
The Wizards made it closer with help from back-to-back dunks from Corey Kispert that helped Washington gain some momentum. But Beal had picked up his third foul of the game trying to stop Harris from sealing him off from the basket. Harris also got the best of Beal by blocking one of his jumpers. As much as any game ever has been this was the Embiid and Harden Show. Both stars proved to be too much to stop.
At the break, it felt like the Sixers were well ahead yet only led 55-50.
2nd half
Both teams got out in the fast break to start the third quarter. Harden connected with Maxey on a pair of buckets to help Philly go up by 13 points, taking advantage of some Washington miscues. The Wizards went small with four guards around Porzingis (partially because Kuzma had gone back to the locker room looking to be in pain. He quickly came back out to the court). The lack of size did little to help Porzingis, who fouled Embiid twice in the span of two minutes.
Even when Gafford and Kuzma back in, Embiid just wouldn't be denied. His automatic jumper and imposing size left Washington with no answers as he rattled off seven straight points for Philly. De'Anthony Melton aided him with some splendid defensive plays and a triple. His quick thinking and active hands helped the Sixers take a 12-point lead into the fourth quarter.
Melton hit a side-step triple to get the fourth started and later linked up with Paul Reed on a dunk to bump the lead up to 17 with under 10 minutes left. Reed had a few impressive finishes at the hoop in the fourth off of feeds from Harden, too. Johnny Davis checked into the game with Washington down 23, which was a major sign that the towel had been thrown in.
The garbage time minutes featured Dewayne Dedmon's season debut for the Sixers and some nice stat padding for Kispert.
Random thoughts:
- These pink Wizards jerseys are one of my favorites in the whole league. They're tremendous.
The Sixers will now head back on the road for an important game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday.
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