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.”
