PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid planted one foot, then the other, for his textbook Euro step toward the basket with the 76ers trailing by two points. But he could not power the ball to the rim, much to the dismay of a coach Doc Rivers, who clearly believed his All-Star big man had been fouled.
That sequence was the difference in the Sixers’ 106-103 loss to the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night at the Wells Fargo Center to put a damper on what had been a terrific 4-0 homestand entering the night.
It was only the Sixers’ fourth loss in their past 19 games, though two of those have come against the Wizards. It was also a classic trap-game letdown wedged between a dramatic overtime victory over Memphis and a key three-game stretch coming up at Dallas, at Chicago (which led the Eastern Conference entering Wednesday), and against Phoenix (which leads the West). Washington played without star Bradley Beal, but got 24 points from Kyle Kuzma and a clutch cut-and-finish by Spencer Dinwiddie to close a rough shooting night (4-of-16).
The Sixers trailed by as many as 12 in the first half and 88-83 with less than nine minutes to play. But shortly after re-entering the game, Embiid finished an and-1 to even the score, before dropping a pass off to Georges Niang to put the Sixers up 90-88.
A corner three-pointer by Niang then extended the Sixers’ lead to 93-88, but the Wizards rallied again to take the lead for good. They tied the score at 96 on a Harrell jumper with less than 3 minutes to play, then took the lead on a Kuzma baseline shot before another Harrell push shot all but sealed the victory.
Embiid’s mixed night
After missing the Sixers’ dramatic win over Memphis to rest, it took time for Embiid to regain his rhythm. He finished with 27 points, 14 rebounds, and 6 assists but went 11-of-27 from the floor.
The 76ers’ All-Star big man, who earlier Wednesday was named the NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Month for January, started 1-for-6 in the first quarter, and did not make a trip to the free-throw line.
But he spearheaded the Sixers’ second-quarter rally, scoring via powerful finishes and pull-up shots while also bringing the ball up off rebounds, directing his teammates and distributing.
He later gave the Sixers a 62-61 lead on a jumper early in the third quarter before following with a baseline spin and slam to extend that advantage.
Maxey and Harris keep Sixers afloat early
When Embiid (and most teammates) struggled early, Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris kept the Sixers afloat. They made nine of the Sixers’ 12 field goals in the first quarter. Maxey finished with 22 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, while Harris added 18 points and nine rebounds but went just 7-of-17 from the field.
Maxey picked up where he left off following a terrific 33-point, 8-assist outing against the Grizzlies.
Maxey provided a burst late in the first quarter, with two layups and two three-pointers before dishing a pass to Niang for a beyond-the-arc shot that cut the Wizards’ lead to 29-20. Maxey later hit a step-back jumper that tied the game at 54 late in the second quarter.
Harris, meanwhile, started 4-of-6 from the floor but made just one of his six attempts in the second quarter. He was 5-of-14 from the floor before a finish inside and a jumper cut the Wizards’ lead to 88-85 early in the fourth quarter.
Perimeter shuffling
Seth Curry’s late scratch due to back spasms, combined with Furkan Korkmaz’s (sore knee) and Shake Milton’s (back contusion) absences, messed with Rivers’ perimeter combinations.
Danny Green started alongside fellow wing Matisse Thybulle, but picked up three fouls by the midway point of the second quarter. Isaiah Joe, who totaled 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting during another productive night, was the first perimeter player off the bench. And two-way rookie Myles Powell was the backup point guard in the second quarter, playing his first meaningful minutes since a Jan. 10 win at Houston when Maxey, Curry, and Milton were all out.
For a short stretch in the second quarter, Rivers deployed a lineup of Joe, Green, Thybulle, Harris and Embiid, before Maxey returned as a primary ballhandler. The Sixers then started the fourth quarter with Joe, Green, Harris, Niang, and Drummond. Niang, who provided that fourth-quarter scoring punch, played in crunch time.
