WASHINGTON D.C.—The Sixers didn’t have the best Monday night, losing to the Wizards 122-114, something that forces a Game 5 in Philadelphia on Wednesday.
The team lost Joel Embiid early in the contest because of a knee injury and to make matters worse for the franchise, as the team was departing Washington, their plane broke down. According to John Clark of NBC Sports, the Sixers were forced to bus home and did not get back until 6 am ET on Tuesday morning.
Teams usually depart for their next city, whether it’s home or another road game, within hours of finishing up a contest. The expectation was for the Sixers to be back in Philadelphia shortly after their postgame media availability, something that with the under two-hour flight, could have really happened within hours of the conclusion of the 7 pm ET contest in Washington. Instead, the team trekked up 1-95 in the early hours of Tuesday morning further extending their two-game playoff road trip.
The Sixers are not holding practice on Tuesday, though it’s worth noting that with only one day in between games, it’s likely that would have been the case regardless of the travel mishaps.
Fan That Stormed Court Banned, Faces charges
During the third quarter in the Wizards’ Game 4 win over the Sixers, a fan ran onto the court, making an attempt to touch one of the backboards.
The fan was promptly tackled by an arena security guard and removed from the area. He been banned from the arena and charges are being pursued, as Monumental Sports & Entertainment tweets.