The Sports Xchange
Nov 29, 2017
PHILADELPHIA -- Rookie Ben Simmons collected career highs of 31 points and 18 rebounds as the Philadelphia 76ers held off the short-handed Washington Wizards 118-113 on Wednesday night.
Joel Embiid had 25 points, 14 boards and four blocked shots for Philadelphia, which closed out its season-high, six-game homestand with its fourth victory.
Simmons, who entered the game shooting 56.6 percent at the free throw-line, was repeatedly fouled intentionally in the fourth quarter. He went 12 of 24 in the quarter and 15 of 29 in the game.
The Wizards sliced a 24-point, third-quarter deficit to 100-97 on two free throws by Tomas Satoransky with 3:35 left.
Simmons then made one foul shot, and Embiid did the same after rebounding Simmons' miss. After a missed jumper by Washington's Bradley Beal, Simmons converted twice at the line to make it 104-97.
Washington, which lost for the fifth time in seven games, also cut the gap to three on two occasions in the final minute, the last time at 116-113 on Satoransky's basket with 11.4 seconds to play.
Philadelphia's Jerryd Bayless then made a free throw, and after the Sixers reclaimed his miss, he made another.
Dario Saric contributed 24 points and Bayless had 14 off the bench for the Sixers (12-8).
Philadelphia enjoyed a 64-35 rebounding advantage, outscored Washington 54-34 in the paint and had a 24-10 edge on second-chance points.
Washington (11-10) was without guard John Wall for the third straight game because of a sore left knee. Beal, the Wizards' other guard, sat out the last 15 minutes of the first half with a facial contusion but returned in the second half and finished with 21 points.
Kelly Oubre Jr. led Washington with 22 points off the bench. Another sub, Jodie Meeks, had 21.
The Sixers snapped an early 11-11 tie with a 17-4 flurry featuring five points by Simmons. They remained in control the rest of the half.
Philadelphia also reeled off 12 straight points late in the second quarter, the last two when Embiid blocked Tim Frazier's shot, sprinted the length of the court and took a pass from Simmons for a dunk.
By halftime, Philadelphia's lead was 58-40 and Embiid had 13 points, Simmons had 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Oubre led the Wizards with 13 first-half points.
NOTES: Philadelphia G T.J. McConnell left the game in the third quarter with a bruised left shoulder and did not return. ... Sixers C Joel Embiid will not play in Boston on Thursday night, as he has not yet been cleared to appear in back-to-back games, according to coach Brett Brown. ... Washington C Marcin Gortat entered the game leading the NBA in screen assists -- i.e., picks that lead directly to baskets -- with 5.6 per game, after leading the league in the same category a year ago (6.2). "He's willing to get hit," Wizards coach Scott Brooks said. "You see a lot of players, they want to slip every screen, because it hurts." ... Philadelphia G/F Nik Stauskas was available after missing the previous five games with a sprained right ankle. However, he didn't play.