Monte Morris could not help but crack a smile as he jogged back down the court, the latest to be whiffed by James Harden.
Harden had jab-stepped and put on a dribble move that caused Morris to lose his balance in the right corner, before burying the three-pointer and turning to high-five Tyrese Maxey from the Sixers’ bench.
That deep shot capped the Sixers’ fourth-quarter surge to authoritatively pull away from the Washington Wizards, 112-93, Sunday night at the Wells Fargo Center, pushing their winning streak to five games.
The Sixers (45-22), who have won 11 of their past 14 games, jumped to an early 22-8 lead and re-extended that advantage to 65-52 when Maxey hit a corner three-pointer about three minutes into the third quarter.
Then, the final flurry in the fourth quarter arrived, thanks to Harden and the Sixers’ second unit of De’Anthony Melton, Shake Milton, Georges Niang, and Paul Reed. They orchestrated a 22-9 run, turning an 81-69 lead into a 25-point cushion. The Sixers finished with 41 bench points with a balanced output, compared to the Wizards’ 41 points from reserves highlighted by 25 from Corey Kispert.
Joel Embiid continued his pace as the NBA’s leading scorer, amassing 34 points on 12-of-21 shooting from the floor and 10-of-12 from the free-throw line to go along with eight rebounds and four assists in three quarters. James Harden, the NBA’s leader in assists per game entering Sunday, recorded his 31st double-double of the season, with 18 points and 14 assists.
The Sixers will play seven of their next eight games on the road, including a Wednesday matchup at the Cleveland Cavaliers before facing the Charlotte Hornets on Friday and Indiana Pacers the following night.
Embiid continues scoring surge
Following Friday’s game-winner against the Portland Trail Blazers, Embiid put together one of his methodically dominant outings against the Wizards before resting for the final quarter.
He started 1-of-5 from the floor, before making seven of his next nine shots to finish the first half with 22 points. He took 10 of the Sixers’ first 18 shots. He mixed smooth jumpers with a breakaway dunk, a crafty finish inside, and a tough score over Daniel Gafford in the second quarter’s final minute.
He scored another 12 points in the third, including a nifty spin and finish to push the Sixers’ lead back to 73-63 with 5 minutes, 30 seconds to play in the frame.
McDaniels leaves with hip injury, Dedmon makes Sixers debut
Reserve wing Jalen McDaniels left the game early in the second quarter with a right hip contusion and did not return.
McDaniels scored six points in eight minutes, but appeared to sustain the injury when he got bumped by the Wizards’ Dani Avdija on a shooting foul about three minutes into the second quarter. McDaniels stayed in to sink both free throws, but was then replaced by Danuel House Jr.
Washington’s Taj Gibson also left the game with a non-COVID illness and did not return. He totaled two points in six first-half minutes.
Veteran center Dewayne Dedmon, meanwhile, made his Sixers debut by playing the final five minutes and totaling four points and one rebound. He signed with the Sixers out of the buyout market just before the All-Star break, but had been hampered by a hip injury.
