The Sixers are in Washington, D.C. Wednesday to take on the Wizards as they try to avoid the play-in tournament. Sitting just one game behind the Raptors for sixth place in the Eastern Conference, every game matters between now and the end of the season.
After a tough loss to the Miami Heat on Monday, the team will look to get back in the win column against a Wizards team that ranks at the very bottom of the league.
Who: Philadelphia 76ers (41-34) at Washington Wizards (17-58)
When: 7 p.m. EST
Where: Capitol One Arena, Washington, D.C.
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBA League Pass
The Sixers are coming off a bad loss to the Heat, in which Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, and Kelly Oubre Jr. all had bad shooting nights, even though the team only really needed one of them to step up against a Heat team that was shooting poorly as well. With Embiid mentioning an illness after the game, he's now out for tonight's contest with what appears to be the same illness.
The team will need to rely on better movement, open looks, and defensive pressure to win, and with Embiid out, George, Maxey, and rookie VJ Edgecombe will have to pick up some of the scoring load. All three are capable and talented; it's just a matter of their coach getting them ready with a good game plan and utilizing all of the players he has available on the roster.
With six of nine players hitting the 30-plus minutes mark against the Heat, players like Justin Edwards and Cam Payne couldn't get on the floor for more than one minute. As the playoffs are a grind, after a long regular season, Nurse seems to be back to his old habits of running starters into the ground, despite four of them just returning from injuries. The team has to get things together, starting with what should be an easy win tonight, to be better prepared for the playoffs.
The Wizards are among the league's worst teams by record, but they've assembled a talented young core that includes Tre Johnson, Bilal Coulibaly, Alex Sarr, and Bub Carrington, with what should be a couple more first-round picks this upcoming draft. They traded for veteran stars Anthony Davis and Trae Young to raise their floor, but haven't seen much change, with Davis listed on a lengthy injury report entering the game.
After a 120-101 loss to the Lakers on Monday night, the team sits tied with the Pacers for the league's worst record. They've lost three games in a row and nine of their last 10 overall. At some point, the Wizards have to stop being the mess that they've been and right the ship. The hope is that the players they've drafted recently, as well as those coming in this offseason, will form a quality, winning core for the future, but time will tell.
The Wizards are 26th in the league in scoring, 29th in points allowed at 123.9 per game, and their defensive efficiency rating of 1.180 ranks one spot above the league's worst. Despite their struggles, their three-point shooting, currently ranked 16th in the league at 35.7% per game, is the only glimmer of hope they have as they take on a Sixers team that will be pushing on defense.
Let's see if the Sixers can get through the game without someone going over 35 minutes in the contest, as they're taking on one of the worst teams in the league. Maxey, Edgecombe, and Paul George should all be stopped around 30 minutes, with Edwards, Payne, Quentin Grimes, and others getting themselves on the court more. If the Sixers can get themselves out to a good lead, not fall apart in the third quarter, and establish a rhythm and lead entering the fourth, they should be able to enjoy some old-fashioned load management.
With the extra rotational pieces available and Embiid out for tonight's game, Nurse should use this time to get the team moving the ball and looking for quality open shots, instead of just shots. Get the reserves out there, pressing on defense, leading to the transition opportunities, and hope that at some point over the next seven games, Quentin Grimes can somehow find his shooting stroke for the playoffs.
While this game shouldn't be anything exceptional, there should be plenty of highlights from the big three on the Sixers, with some Tre Johnson highlights from the Wizards thrown in. Two of last season's top draft picks, battling against each other, will be fun to watch at least.
Sixers 119 - Wizards 93
