By: Kylan Watson
After falling to the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night, the Philadelphia 76ers faced the Washington Wizards in South Philadelphia. Both teams traded blows throughout this contest, but thanks to a first quarter scoring explosion the Wizards were able to beat Philly 119-114.
The Sixers once again could not find their offensive rhythm early in this contest. Washington took full advantage using their young legs to create easy scoring opportunities. Before the Sixers could even settle into this game they were down by 16-points at the end of the quarter. Alex Sarr dominated the Sixers on both sides of the ball, they had no answers for what he was doing throughout this game. He scored 24 points and made four/seven three-pointers in this contest as well.
Sarr was able to attack the rim and get his defenders in foul trouble and when Philly would stop him from getting in the paint, he would pull-up from the perimeter or the three-point line and make the shot. Sarr is going to be a problem if he continues to develop his jump shot from beyond the arc. He already has a deep skillset and that is the weakest part of his game although you would not know it watching this game. Sarr continued to make his presence known in this game and will be a force to be reckon with throughout his NBA career.
The Sixers finally woke up in the second quarter and were able to climb back into this game. Quentin Grimes (22 points), and Guerschon Yabusele (21 points) who combined for 43 of Philly’s 114 points. Yabusele had an explosive game tonight. He scored Philly’s first eight points in this game and was one of the few players who kept the Sixers in this game. Yabusele has had an up and down few weeks, but it finally looks like he is getting back on the right track. Philly will need his energy and scoring throughout the next nine games as they look to build momentum throughout the rest of this season.
Philly was able to make a late game comeback in the fourth quarter after turning up their defensive pressure. That forced the Wizards to turn the ball over and Philly was able to hit two big three-pointers to cut Washington’s lead to four points, but the Wizards were able to hit a late game lay-up thanks to Sarr to seal this game. The Sixers had a challenging time overcoming the Wizards youth and size advantage in this contest. Every time the Sixers would make a run Washington would respond and Philly just could not get enough stops in this game to take this game from the Wizards.
The Sixers will now have a few days off to rest and get healthy as they prepare to take on the Miami Heat on Saturday night. Philly will need to limit their turnovers, stay connected to their defensive assignments, and cash in on the high-percentage shooting opportunities created by their ball movement. Implementing these things into their game plan on Saturday night should put them in great shape to win their 24th game of the season and snap their six-game losing streak.
