The Sixers are in the midst of a three-game losing streak, but they were able to salvage Thursday’s loss with some interesting notes from the game. Here are 3 observations from Wednesday night’s matchup against Washington.
The “philly basketball team” is a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association. The Sixers have won three NBA championships and have had many talented players over their history, including Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Allen Iverson, and Charles Barkley.
The Philadelphia 76ers came to the nation’s capital for an afternoon matchup with the Washington Wizards following a hard-fought victory in Miami on Saturday night.
In the end, Washington triumphed on their own court. They defeated the Sixers by a final score of 117-98, thanks to a variety of contributions. Here are some takeaways from the game.
Observations on the Philadelphia 76ers’ game against the Washington Wizards
3. Defensive perimeter
The Sixers are very thin at the wing position as a result of injuries. They were also missing two of their best defenders in Matisse Thybulle and Danny Green. It was evident from the start of the game that they had been missed on Monday.
Washington has several perimeter threats, and the Sixers, regrettably, have few alternatives for shutting them down. While no Wizards player had a particularly large outburst, many players made the defense pay on the outside.
The 76ers’ struggles guarding on the perimeter on Monday were compared to their defeat to the Charlotte Hornets last week. Their weakness has been opposing teams with a variety of players who can put the ball on the floor and go to the rim.
In his return,[email protected] is putting on a show!
#NBAAllStar | @MichelobULTRA pic.twitter.com/fyXLaM28Gr 1 RT = 2 votes today #NBAAllStar | @MichelobULTRA pic.twitter.com/fyXLaM28Gr
January 17, 2022 — Washington Wizards (@WashWizards)
2. A young player takes on a major responsibility.
Charlie Brown Jr. pleased the Sixers enough to be upgraded to a two-way contract after a stint on a 10-day contract. During that period, the most of his flashes were defensive in nature.
The 24-year-old was given a huge assignment due to the team’s lack of defenders. Brown Jr. was placed on the court after the first few minutes of the game to be the main defender of Wizards All-Star Bradley Beal.
Brown Jr., while being a relative newcomer to the NBA, held his own against Beal. There’s no slowing down a superior talent like Beal, but he tried his best to make the prolific scorer’s life as difficult as possible. He was the greatest choice for such a difficult defensive matchup because of his mix of agility and length.
The young prospect has a lot to be proud of. Brown Jr.’s window of opportunity in the NBA has opened, and he is not going to miss it.
1. Joel Embiid is limited in his abilities.
While the Sixers’ overall performance wasn’t great, Joel Embiid extended his hot streak in Washington. The All-Star center finished with 32 points and eight rebounds on 50 percent shooting from the field.
There’s no disputing that Embiid has done all he can to help the Sixers win, but he is just one player at the end of the day. Others must stand up and contribute in order for this squad to really turn the turnaround. Their failure in Washington was mostly due to a lack of production from the supporting actors.
On a mission, Jojo. pic.twitter.com/qW9jne2DqZ
January 17, 2022 — Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers)
After everything was said and done, just two Sixers players reached double digits. Tyrese Maxey finally broke through with 18 points, but it was late in the third quarter. The Sixers’ other main contributors, Tobias Harris and Seth Curry, combined for just 15 points on 7-for-20 shooting.
With his transcendent performance, Embiid can likely keep the Sixers in games, but they can’t expect to remain in the win column if the men around him can’t do their bit as well.
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