The Sixers continue to dominate the league this season, improving to a league-best 7-1 after their home win against the Wizards. The Joel Embiid–Ben Simmons engine was running at full speed on Wednesday night as the two stars took over the game late and while the offense runs through both All-Stars, the team is full of contributors shoulder some of the offensive load so that neither Embiid nor Simmons is overexerted.
One of which has been Seth Curry, whom the Sixers traded for this offseason (Josh Richardson and the No. 36 overall pick in the 2020 draft). The shooting guard’s ability opens up the floor for the team’s stars to operate.
“He’s doing his job. I don’t know if he ever misses, He started the game 6-for-6 from 3,” Joel Embiid told FortyEightMinutes.com and other media in attendance. “That was a great pickup. I give a lot of credit to Daryl [Morey] for making it happen. Obviously, with the guys that we have around this year, it’s a little easier than it has been. It’s easier for me, it’s easier for Ben, it’s easier for everybody. The ball moves, everybody shares the ball, shooters shoot, and we all dominate.”
Thomas Bryant, like many centers, had issues covering Embiid on Wednesday night. Washington needed to send help in the paint, having Deni Avdija or another player scoot down to double team the big man. Embiid dished out a few assists (as an aside, Embiid has taken a nice leap forward this season) before the Wizards went away with that strategy late in the first half because it had resulted in open look after open look for Philadelphia and an 82-point first-half.
Curry finishes the game with 28 points. Embiid had 38. Both overshadowed Bradley Beals‘ 60-point effort, which tied Gilbert Arena’s Wizards franchise high (Beal missed a late free throw which would have gave him sole possession and admitted postgame that he didn’t do it on purpose to try and gain an extra possession, something that was a feasible conclusion).
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- Embiid on Beal’s performance: “There’s no reason anybody should drop 60 on us.”
- Beal on his own performance: “All my career highs have been losses…I don’t give a damn.”
- Russell Westbrook injured himself with under a minute left in the contest. Westbrook was visually frustrated, kicking a chair baseline as he went into the locker room on his own. Westbrook told FortyEightMinutes and other media in attendance that it was a dislocated finger and he wasn’t sure if he would miss any time.
- Tobias Harris reached the 10,000-point mark in the contest. Harris looks like a completely different player this year, which makes sense given he had his best season under Doc Rivers in Los Angeles previously.
- The Sixers have now won 20-straight game at the Wells Fargo Arena in South Philadelphia after the win.
