Bradley Beal had a historic night in Philadelphia, scoring 60-points against the Sixers, though it didn’t bring the team a victory.
“He can score a lot of points on any team on any given night, but he wants to lead us in victories,” coach Scott Brook told FortyEightMinutes and other media after the contest.
Defense was again the issue for the Wizards in the 141-136 loss, as Philadelphia shot 62% from the field (including 18-for-29 from downtown). There is some hope for Washington with Rui Hachimura continuing to showcase his defensive ability.
“He’s the only guy on our team that can guard one through five,” Brooks said of Hachimura during Thursday’s post-practice media zoom call.
More From Washington
- The Wizards have now lost to the Sixers twice this season and Beal believes that Washington had the gameplan to win both times. “It’s tough, we understand what Joel is capable of…we understand that they’re trying to run their offense through him,” Beal said.
- Russell Westbrook is day-to-day with a dislocated finger, according to coach Brooks. Westbrook didn’t do much in practice on Thursday but Brooks told reporters it was a light day for most players.
- Thomas Bryant is a self-admitted emotional player, though he has learned how to play with more control this year. Last year it was not to our advantage. This year, he’s controlling it,” Brooks said (h/t Ava Wallace of the Washington Post). “… His growth in that area, it’s going to help us win a lot of games this year.” Bryant will have a tough matchup against Embiid in this one.
