Wiz of Awes
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Washington Wizards Start Second Half of Season With Loss To Philadelphia 76ers

By Ben Mehic

Feb 24, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard TJ McConnell (1) drives to the net as Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) defends during the third quarter of the game at the Wells Fargo Center. Philadelphia won the game 120-112. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 24, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard TJ McConnell (1) drives to the net as Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) defends during the third quarter of the game at the Wells Fargo Center. Philadelphia won the game 120-112. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports /
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Washington Wizards were one of the hottest teams in the NBA before the All-Star Break, but suffered a disappointing loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Coming off a week-long NBA All-Star break, there’s always an irrational fear that certain teams will lose momentum, just because they haven’t played together during the rest period.

On Friday night against the Philadelphia 76ers, the Washington Wizards found themselves trailing early and weren’t able to complete a comeback, despite a late run in the second half, 120-112.

Bradley Beal scored 40 points, making 15 of his 25 shot attempts. John Wall added 29 points and 14 assists. Both players were on the court for over 41 minutes, but their presence ultimately didn’t change the outcome of the game.

Washington’s forwards, Otto Porter and Markieff Morris, struggled defensively. Porter and Morris couldn’t stop penetration and the Sixers scored inside with almost no resistance.

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Surprisingly, Porter and Morris – arguably the Wizards’ two best defenders – had trouble guarding rookie Dario Saric.

Saric scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, flashing star-level talent after the team traded Ersan Ilyasova before the NBA Trade Deadline to clear up playing time for the Croatian.

Robert Covington lit the Wizards’ defense up from deep, making 5 of his 9 threes.

Covington hit consecutive threes in the second quarter, when the Wizards were outscored 35-21. He finished the game 25 points and 11 rebounds.

Once again, Washington’s bench was unreliable, totaling 11 points on the night. Bojan Bogdanovic made his debut for the Wizards. He made just 1 of his 5 shots – one that came from a goaltending call on a fastbreak.

Since it was his first game, it’s not surprising that Bogdanovic couldn’t find a rhythm. Going forward, the Wizards are going to get a spark from their second unit, which will be led by Bogdanovic.

The most disappointing aspect of the loss was Washington’s defense. It almost seems as if the Wizards were too relaxed and forgot how to play physical defense. Porter and Morris were non-factors defensively and the big men allowed the Sixers to score lobs willingly.

Richaun Holmes checked into the game and scored 12 points to go alongside 10 rebounds off the bench for Brett Brown. All of his baskets came exclusively from inside the paint. Marcin Gortat and Ian Mahinmi were late to rotate, making it impossible for the Wizards to string together stops.

Next: Reacting to the Wizards' Trade Deadline Deal

Washington will return home on Sunday night to face the Utah Jazz, who are considered one of the most improved teams in the league. Losses like the one on Friday could come back to haunt Washington if they don’t close out the season strong.

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