By: Kylan Watson

After losing a thriller to the Atlanta Hawks last night in Philly, the Philadelphia 76ers faced the Washington Wizards tonight. Another hungry team looking to take full advantage of a weakened Sixers squad. Both teams traded blows, but the Sixers were able to win this game thanks to a late game explosion from Ricky Council IV who hit two clutch buckets to help Philly pull this one out 119-113.

The Sixers did not start this game off well, they missed some makeable baskets and were lazy on the defensive end. This allowed the Wizards to get out to an early lead and unlocked Tyus Jones who hit five/six of his three-point attempts to score 15 of his 25 points in the first half. Philly was able to weather the Battle scoring explosion and retake the lead thanks to the duo of a returning Tyrese Maxey (28 points and grabbed nine rebounds) and Buddy Hield (23 points). They combined for 51 of the Sixers 119-points and even though this was their first time playing together this season, it seemed like they have been playing together all season. They both took turns hitting game breaking shots from beyond the arc and attacking the paint for easy buckets as well. The addition of Hield and his ability to take the pressure off Maxey paid off in this game as the opposing defense could not double or triple team him to get the ball out of his hands. When the Wizards did it tonight the ball found Hield who hit four/nine three-pointers tonight and that number of three-point opportunities will only increase as Maxey is a willing passer. Hield is already paying dividends as the shot creator the Sixers have needed for a long time. If he and Maxey can continue to improve their chemistry, Philly could stay in the fifth spot and will rise up in the standings in the loaded Eastern Conference. Their chemistry will define what happens with the Sixers as they head into the final two games before the All-Star break and when the second half of the season starts in two weeks.

Despite the scoring explosion from Maxey and Hield the Wizards were able to weather that storm and go on a scoring run of their own that erased the Sixers 12-point lead. The trio of Tyus Jones, Deni Avdija (21 points), and Kyle Kuzma (21 points) combined for 67 of Washington’s 113-points. Kuzma and Avdija were the big scorers for the Wizards during this fourth quarter run. They took full advantage of being bigger than the players who were guarding them and attacked the basket. That style of play led to easy buckets or a trip to the foul line. They were able to cut the Sixers lead to two-points and then Philly turned up the defensive heat to force them into well contested shots. That did enough to help them pull away as Ricky Council IV showed up to this game and made two clutch shots to help the Sixers win this game.  Nick Nurse let him play the final three minutes of this game and he did not disappoint his coach; he got an offensive rebound that led to a put back dunk that put this game away for the Sixers. That play was indicative of the night for Council IV. His aggressiveness was rewarded tonight as he scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. He really made a case for his two-way contract to be converted to a full roster spot. Council IV is that scoring punch off the bench the Sixers need. His ability to shift his style of play to match the type of game he is in has been a big development for the Sixers during this tough stretch. He deserves that full roster spot and Daryl Morey, and the brain trust of the Sixers need to make sure he does not spend another day of this season in Wilmington, DE.

The Sixers will now prepare for a Monday Night showdown with the surging Cleveland Cavaliers. One of the best teams in the NBA during the month of January, this will be a big test for a Sixers team that is still trying to get healthy before the All-Star break. The Sixers will need to make sure that they play better perimeter defense than they did tonight, if they want to slow Donovan Mitchell down. He will still get his points, but they will need to make sure he sees a lot of bodies in front of him and hands in his face when he is shooting the ball. If they can make it difficult for him and slow his teammates down, they will be able to slowdown the Cavs explosive offense. Additionally, Philly will need to do what they did tonight hit the high-percentage shots created off their ball movement. If they can implement these things into their game plan on Monday, they can get their 32^nd victory of the season and make a statement heading into next week’s All-Star break.