WASHINGTON — The Monday afternoon energy inside Capital One Arena was as chilly as the winter storm that hit the District the night before, until Kyle Kuzma took the ball at the top of the key, drove the lane and threw down a one-handed dunk on Joel Embiid to briefly ignite the home crowd.
The Sixers never got their own moment with that level of gusto. They could not overcome a sluggish start in a 117-98 loss to the Wizards, splitting their two-game holiday weekend road trip.
“It was just one of those nights,” coach Doc Rivers said. “I thought we got outplayed in every phase of the game. I thought [the Wizards] ran their stuff. They executed. Their zone offense was more prepared than ours. Just everywhere. And then every hustle point — the loose balls, the rebounds, the charge-taking — they came ready.”
It was the a clunker — one that elicited a sighing “Aw, shoot” as second-year point guard Tyrese Maxey took a seat for his postgame news conference — that often accompanies the January dog days of the NBA regular season. But it was a surprise for a Sixers team that entered Monday as winners of nine of their last 10 games, including an inspired second-half effort in a comeback win Saturday night at Miami on the second night of a back-to-back.
The Sixers (25-18) started slowly and could never gain the traction needed to make a significant run. Their second-half push came when Maxey cut the Wizards’ lead to 91-85 in the opening minute of the fourth quarter, but Washington responded with a 20-5 run, including a rim-rocking Montrezl Harrell and-one dunk that rebuilt the lead to 111-90 with less than six minutes to play.
“Once they go on that run, it’s hard to crawl back,” Maxey said.
Embiid again anchored the Sixers offense, finishing with 32 points (10-of-20 from the floor and 9-of-10 from the free-throw line) and eight rebounds to extend his streak of road games with 30 or more points to 11. But Rivers lamented the multitude of “phenomenal” open shots the Sixers missed when Embiid was swarmed, or the stretches when the ball did not move enough.
“Honestly, it was one of those nights that you couldn’t get [Embiid] the ball enough,” Rivers said. “I was exacerbated with that. Just because they trapped him and we threw it out, the ball could still go back. I called a timeout to get to repost the one time. We didn’t see the game properly on the floor, and that happens.”
Cold start
The Sixers struggled on both ends of the floor early, missing 10 of their first 15 shots while allowing the Wizards to shoot 62.5% in the first quarter.
Washington used an 11-0 run, capped by a Kuzma driving layup, to create its early advantage. The Wizards made three of their six three-point attempts in the opening quarter, scored 18 points in the paint, and did not commit a turnover. That set the tone for their efficient offensive night, scoring 91 points through three quarters and forcing the Sixers to switch to a zone defense.
“Everything [was bad],” Rivers said of the Sixers’ defense. “Transition ‘D.’ Post ‘D.’ They killed us on cuts all night. We [weren’t] pulled in. Our weakside defense was poor.”
The Sixers’ best offense in the first was Embiid manufacturing seven points at the free-throw line. He drew three early fouls on starting big man Daniel Gafford, then a quick call on Thomas Bryant.
Yet Bryant was an immediate spark for Washington, going 3-of-5 from the floor in seven minutes and adding a jumper at the buzzer.
Bench discrepancy
Bryant was an anchor of a productive Wizards bench that outscored the Sixers reserves, 63-27.
Washington also got key contributions from Harrell (18 points, seven rebounds), Corey Kispert (11 points) and Rui Hachimura (11 points, five rebounds).
“It didn’t matter who they played tonight,” Rivers said. “All of them played better than our guys.”
Georges Niang (seven points, four rebounds) was the most effective Sixers reserve. Andre Drummond also pulled down seven rebounds in 15 minutes. Isaiah Joe provided a brief spark late in the third, when he buried a corner three, collected a steal, and threw down a one-handed and-one to cut the Wizards’ lead to 86-77.
Charlie Brown Jr.’s chance
Charlie Brown Jr.’s rapid ascension remains a prominent recent story line. With Matisse Thybulle (shoulder) and Danny Green (hip) out again, Brown was the Sixers’ first sub of the game.
His immediate task: guarding All-Star Bradley Beal, swatting a block from behind in the third quarter. He grabbed a team-high nine rebounds in 23 minutes. And shared the floor with the starters for much of the second quarter. He said his primary goal was to bring energy to the second unit.
He also took a season-high seven shots but made just two of those attempts. Brown put the ball on the floor for a spinning layup in the first quarter. He finished a putback after an Embiid miss in the second period. But he grimaced after missing a wide-open look under the basket late in the first half, then yelled at obscenity in frustration as he walked back to the bench for a timeout.
“If it comes, it comes,” Brown said of opportunities to score. “I’m not gonna be forcing anything. I’m gonna be solid on the defensive end.”
