The Philadelphia 76ers hosted the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night, looking to bounce back from a tough loss to the Denver Nuggets, missing almost its entire rotation. The Wizards came in winners of two out of their last three contests, playing more spirited ball as of late.
Philadelphia had their complete roster available for the first time this season with the return of Kelly Oubre Jr. and Trendon Watford. Both players missed extended time, and the Sixers are surely ecstatic about their returns, as the team could use the skills that each player specializes in on the court.
The Wizards, on the other hand, were missing three of their key veterans in Khris Middleton, CJ McCollum, and Corey Kispert. The latter two were dealt soon after the game in a trade to Atlanta for All-Star guard Trae Young.
The Sixers started the game with a much different energy than they did on Monday night. They were much more assertive on both ends of the floor and started on a 7-0 run. Embiid's second dunk of the season led to Washington’s first timeout, showing the big fella is trusting his body more as the season goes along.
The first quarter was dominated by Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid, who combined for 24 points in the quarter. Maxey knocked down 4 threes while Embiid dominated the painted area. After building a 13-point lead, the Wizards fought back to close the gap, but the Sixers still led by seven at the end of the period.
Washington took advantage of the Sixers not having Joel Embiid or Tyrese Maxey to start the second quarter and went on an 11-0 run to take a four-point lead early in the quarter. Bad offense for the first few minutes for Philly, which gave their opponents confidence to shoot their way back into the game.
Once Sixers’ coach Nick Nurse subbed Paul George back into the game after that Wizards run, he put the Sixers on his back. He knocked down three shots from beyond the arc, dominated in the mid-post and did some really good things on defense, including an acrobatic steal on the sideline. His play sparked a run for the home team to take back the lead and a 62-56 advantage at half.
Philly made it a point to start the third quarter by establishing Embiid on offense, taking advantage of the one-on-one coverage Washington guarded him with. His dominance on offense allowed him to score 12 points in the quarter and keep the Wiz at arm's length for most of the quarter. Both teams got into an offensive flow with Bilal Coulibaly and Bub Carrington scoring buckets for the away team, but the Sixers' lead increased to 12 by the end of the period.
The fourth quarter started with both Embiid and Maxey on the bench, but the rookie VJ Edgecombe helped the Sixers go on an 11-0 run to start the quarter after a rough first three quarters. Andre Drummond got the nod in the second half over Adem Bona, and his presence on the boards was felt immediately.
Philadelphia really turned up the defense in the fourth quarter early on, switching and denying all of Washington’s shooters. Tyrese Maxey made a brief appearance in the fourth but sat right back down, while Joel Embiid didn’t see the court again. The big three all shined, combining for 73 of the Sixers’ 131 points. The Sixers got a bounce-back win against the Wizards after a tough loss on Monday night.
The Sixers head on the road for a three-game trip starting against the Orlando Magic Friday night. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7:00 p.m. EST.
