The 76ers routed the Washington Wizards 132-115 at home in front of a loud an excited crowd on Tuesday night. I myself was in attendance for the game, and let me be the first to say that the energy was through the roof. Sure I was sitting in the nose bleed seats like every average man in america, but I was able to notice everything from a birds eye view. Besides myself in the stands, a few Eagles players were in attendance additionally. Lets recap what went down at Well Fargo last night.
Leading Scorers
Landry Shamet was on fire last night from down town as he buried eight 3’s on the night. Finishing with 29 points the rookie lead the team in score, made free throws, and shots attempted. It was great to see him gain confidence off the bench and fill in the role of JJ Redick. Overall the team shot 51.5% from deep. Joel Embiid had his routine 20 points, 10 rebounds in very limited action ( 24 mins). Ben Simmons was terrific all night posting a 17 points, 5 boards, and 9 helpers. Jimmy Butler was nearly perfect from the field (8-9), and added another 20 to the total.
Game Timeline
The Wizards jumped out to a surprising early lead and shot well from 3 point land. When the score reached 16-8, Joel Embiid split a pair of free throws to spark an 11-4 run to tie the game up at 20. Having the game nearly tied to end the first, the Sixers edged a 3 point lead heading in to the second quarter.
Moving on to the second is when the game started to turn into a story of two different teams. When the 76ers play together, share the ball, and can make consistent shots they’re one of the most fun teams to watch. The Wizards on the other hand throw in the towel once a little adversity strikes. It’s all over the body language of each player on the court. The Sixers took that 3 point lead and turned it into a 23 point lead heading into the break. With Washington missing shots and the Sixers making layups and easy baskets, it was the perfect storm to open the game up.
Half-Time
After the break, same story with easy baskets and back breaking 3’s for Philly. Shamet ended the quarter hitting 2 back to back 3’s to send the game to nearly a 30 point margin, but Otto Porter Jr matched him with a pair of 3’s himself. It was an extremely sloppy period offensively for Washington and seemed to never really get in a rhythm.
To round out the game, it was a 20 point buffer throughout the quarter. Most of the starters on the bench getting some rest after a dominating performance. This is what the team needs to do in order to be one of the top teams in the East. They have to blow out the teams they should on a regular basis. You can’t afford to slip up or give away these easy wins if you want to be a top seed when it comes time for the post season.
Inside the Numbers
Anytime a team can shoot better than 50% from deep, you most likely are going to win the game. Maybe unless you play Golden State..Anyway, Philly out hustled Washington 53-40 and shot better from the field as well. What is still bothering the fans, players, coach, and everyone else is that this team still turns the ball over. 20 turnovers needs to be cut in half. No excuses. The Sixers took 25 free throws and shot 68% from the line. I’d like to see that around 75%, would love 80%, but beggars can’t be choosers. Finally a great stat I loved seeing was that the team lead the fast break points 18-6 which shows they want to get up and down the floor, and capitalize in transition.
Shamet’s Role Moving Forward
I believe that Landry Shamet is going to need to bring this type of energy on a regular basis. Every year in the NBA there is a rookie or a young player who plays a vital role on a team. Inserting JJ back into the starting lineup, and having Landry come off the bench and hit a few 3’s off the bench is what this team needs. If he can get comfortable enough and hit three or four 3’s a night, it’ll add so much needed bench scoring for this team.
Looking Ahead
The Sixers get the lovely pleasure of playing the Wizards again tonight on the road in Washington. Gotta love playing a team you just dominated again, and you GOTTA love driving down I-95 to the traffic filled DC area. After that, the team will return back home to play the terrible Atlanta Hawks. That needs to be another blow out win. If they are able to do that, It’ll put them at 29-14, over half-way through the regular season. Not a bad spot to be at for a young and hungry team looking to make a run at a conference title.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
