Wiz of Awes
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Washington Wizards Three Takeaways: Sixers snap Wizards five-game win streak, 115-102

By Donnell Coley

PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 6: Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards shoots the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers on February 6, 2018 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 6: Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards shoots the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers on February 6, 2018 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – FEBRUARY 6: Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards shoots the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers on February 6, 2018 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – FEBRUARY 6: Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards shoots the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers on February 6, 2018 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The Philadelphia 76ers used a raucous home crowd to beat the Washington Wizards 115-102, snapping their five-game win streak.

You just can’t beat the city of Philadelphia right now and the Washington Wizards (31-23) found out the hard way on Tuesday. Just two nights after the Eagles pulled off an upset win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII, the 76ers downed one of the hottest teams in the league, 115-102 in front of a frenzied Philly crowd.

Sixers stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons were a tough tandem to tame.  Embiid finished with a double-double, 27 points and 12 rebounds. Simmons stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, six rebounds, eight assists and three steals. The Sixers’ starters complimented their stars perfectly as all five finished in double figures.

Bradley Beal, much like the rest of the team, struggled to get going early. Otto Porter Jr (17 points, eight rebounds) was one of the few Wizards to score in the first quarter as the team went on a serious drought falling behind 26-7 to start the game. They would trail 37-20 at the end of the period.

After Beal was held scoreless the entire quarter,  he and the Wizards would find some rhythm as the game progressed. He scored 11 points in both the second and third quarters, rallying the team back on multiple occasions, but his game-high 30 points weren’t enough to sneak away with a sixth-straight win.

Here’s what stuck out in this one.

Three-Point Shooting

The game was decided outside the three-point arc. Simply put, one team knocked down shots and the other couldn’t buy a bucket.

Wizards head coach Scott Brooks echoed these sentiments after the game.

“It seemed like every time we cut it to seven or eight, we would miss a wide-open three and they would come down and make one,” Brooks told reporters.

Washington shot just 25 percent (7-for-27) from deep, while Philadelphia doubled that output, making 14 three-pointers on 50 percent shooting.

Veteran guard J.J. Redick led the way, scoring 12 of his 18 points from behind the arc on 4-of-5 shooting. While Embiid hit three from deep as he constantly found himself wide open from pick-and-pop actions.

After the sluggish first quarter, Beal was the only three-ball threat for Washington. He connected on five of his twelve attempts. No other Wizards player hit more than one.

Capitalizing on Turnovers

The Sixers are one of the worst teams in the NBA in regards to taking care of the ball. This was the lone flaw in what was a dominating victory. The Wizards, especially in the first two quarters, were able to keep within striking distance because of points off turnovers. The Sixers had 11 turnovers at the half.

Washington finished the game with 22 points off 17 Sixers turnovers.

All-Star Showdown

Both Beal and Embiid were named to their first All-Star Game a couple of weeks ago and they proved as much on the national TV stage.

Embiid controlled the action on both sides and lead both teams in rebounds and blocks. Meanwhile, Beal was everything for Washington, leading the team in points and assists (5).

The bench didn’t have their best game, coming off a back-to-back. Kelly Oubre Jr. struggled from the field (4-13), but was aggressive enough to still finish the game with 10 points.

His lone highlight came from a brilliant Beal pass, that resulted in a spectacular flush just before the opening quarter ended.

https://twitter.com/BR_NBA/status/961053548850036736

In addition to setting up teammates, Beal carried the team offensively for the majority of the second half. Frankly, his effort was the sole reason the game didn’t get out of hand as Embiid and the Sixers were dominating from both inside and out.

Beal barely got help in the fourth quarter and on this particular play, he literally creates his own offense.

The Wizards will host the Boston Celtics in another nationally televised game on Thursday night.

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