The Washington Wizards season-high 48 points in the fourth quarter weren’t enough to complete an improbable comeback against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night, losing 118-113.
The Philadelphia 76ers (11-9) avenged an early season loss to the Washington Wizards (11-10), on Wednesday, in a convincing 118-113 win. The final score masked what was a one-sided sparring session. Just one day after an inspiring road victory against Minnesota, the Wizards were walloped both figuratively and literally in Rocky’s hometown.
They were absolutely pounded on the boards and in the paint. Washington even left the game looking defeated physically. Bradley Beal left the arena with a shiner under his right eye, after being elbowed in the face in the first quarter, and Kelly Oubre Jr. was cut on his chin in the fourth.
Had it not been for a historic meltdown by rookie Ben Simmons at the free throw line (12-of-24 in the fourth quarter), the score would’ve reflected the whipping.
Simmons had a monster game. He finished with 31 points, 18 rebounds, and four assists. Joel Embiid chipped in with his own double-double, scoring 25 points and grabbing 14 rebounds.
Oubre led the Wizards with 22 points off the bench. Meanwhile, Beal was the only starter to reach double figures, scoring 21 points in just 23 minutes.
Here’ what happened in this one.
Beat on the Boards
The Sixers are the best rebounding team in the NBA and proved it on Wednesday.
They dominated Washington on the boards to the tune of 64-35. More troubling was the 21-7 offensive rebounding advantage. The Wizards got some stops, but didn’t finish the possession. This lead to multiple second-chance opportunities that demoralized the group in the early goings. It also played a factor in the team’s disadvantage in the paint where they were outscored 54-34.
Washington’s starters were largely to blame for the lackluster effort on the boards. No starter had more than four and Oubre led the team with seven.
Starters No-show Again
For the second straight night, the starters were terrible. They lacked passion and hustle, while starting the game shooting just 25 percent from the field. The Wizards trailed 28-18 after the first quarter.
Washington tried to assert themselves in the paint, but were quickly dismayed by Embiid’s presence. He ranked eighth in the league in blocks per game ahead of this one, and added four more to his total.
This play, in particular, set the home crowd on fire and propelled them to a dominant first half.
https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/936039879460323328
The starters were a combined -81 and most of them cheered on the late comeback from the sideline, as Beal was the only starter to get significant minutes in the fourth.
Bench Finding a Rhythm
The bench played surprisingly well again. Unlike the starters, they were a combined +56.
If you subtract Beal’s 11 points, the bench accounted for all of the team’s points in the fourth. Washington outscored Philadelphia 48-34 in the final period.
Jodie Meeks had back-to-back threes in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to 14 with just over eight minutes left. This gave coach Coach Scott Brooks the confidence to employ the hack-a-Simmons strategy that allowed the team to creep back in. Meeks finished with 21 points and was 8-of-9 from the line.
Tomas Satoransky, meanwhile, is making the most of his minutes during this stretch without All-Star point guard John Wall. He’s one of the best playmakers on this team, and proved as much with a team-high eight assists to accompany 12 points.
This two-game stretch is encouraging for the growth of Washington’s bench. It could pay dividends later in the year when they’ll be needed.
Washington looks to get back in the win column on Friday when they host the Detroit Pistons.