Field Level Media
Dec 21, 2019
Joel Embiid had 21 points and 13 rebounds for his 20th double-double and the host Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Washington Wizards 125-108 on Saturday.
Josh Richardson added 21 points, Tobias Harris contributed 16, and Ben Simmons had 14 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds and four steals as the Sixers snapped a season-high three-game losing streak. They also broke a two-game home losing skid after winning their first 14 at the Wells Fargo Center.
Al Horford also scored 13 points to place all five Philadelphia starters in double figures in scoring.
Bradley Beal was stellar from beginning to end with 36 points, eight rebounds and six assists while Isaiah Thomas added 20 points for the Wizards, who lost their third in a row. Thomas was ejected for going into the stands with 2:53 left in the game.
Troy Brown Jr. had 19 off the bench for the undermanned Wizards, who played without six key players, including John Wall, C.J. Miles, Moritz Wagner and Rui Hachimura.
The Sixers used a 19-0 run midway through the second quarter to take a 53-30 lead. But the Wizards kept pushing and finished the quarter strong, trailing just 65-53 at halftime. Beal missed six of his first seven 3-pointers, but managed to score 20 points by halftime to keep his team within striking distance.
Richardson paced the Sixers with 13 by the break.
Beal drove to the basket and closed the Wizards within 80-75 with 3:05 left in the third.
Despite Beal's 31 and struggles against the Wizards' zone defense, the Sixers still managed to hold an 88-80 lead after three quarters.
Mike Scott opened with a 3-pointer on the Sixers' first possession of the fourth to give them an 11-point advantage.
Backup point guard Trey Burke made a difficult layup with the shot clock winding down to cap an 11-2 run for a 95-82 lead.
The Wizards hung around and closed within 103-94 with 6:13 left on a basket by Davis Bertans.
On Philadelphia's ensuing possession, Furkan Korkmaz knocked down a deep trey to put the 76ers back up 12. Matisse Thybulle then added a dunk, Korkmaz made another 3-pointer and the Sixers' lead was suddenly 111-94.
--Field Level Media