The Washington Wizards are in Philadelphia to take on the 76ers tonight and hoping that they’ll be able to stop the Sixers’ four-game win streak. While the Sixers are one of the top teams in the league to start the young season, the Wizards have just one win on the year and rank at the bottom.
Wizards vs 76ers game info
Who: Washington Wizards (1-4) at Philadelphia 76ers (4-1)
When: 7:00 pm EST
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pa
Watch: NBA League Pass, NBC Sports Philadelphia
Wizards vs 76ers betting info
Spread: Wizards +11.5 | 76ers -11.5
Moneyline: Wizards +425 | 76ers -575
Total: 228
What to look for from the 76ers
After that tough opening night loss, the Sixers just decided that the games shouldn’t be that close. They’ve won four games in a row by an average of 15.5 points.
When the Sixers lost last year’s leader in assists, the thought was that it would take some time and a little luck for them to come together.
It took about 6 minutes into game one of the season.
An exciting new 76ers tandem emerges
Tyrese Maxey has been playing at close to an All-Star level and reigning MVP, Joel Embiid, seems to have picked up right where he left off last season.
Maxey is averaging a career-best 26.2 points per game to go along with 5.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists while shooting 47.1% on his three-point attempts. Any concern over Maxey not being able to step up in the absence of last season’s starting point guard has to have been thrown out the window with his amazing start to the year.
Embiid, is currently 6th in the league in scoring at 29.4 points per game, despite only playing slightly over 33 minutes per contest. The Sixers have been in control over the last four games so there hasn’t really been a need to keep Embiid on the floor. He’s added in 11 rebounds per game and upped his assists to 6.2 per game, which would be a career-high if it can be maintained. Did I mention that he’s blocking 2.2 shots per game? This, if it continues throughout the year, could be Embiid’s best season yet.
An unexpected hero
What most people didn’t expect was the emergence of shooting guard, Kelly Oubre Jr., as the teams legit third option in this offense. Oubre was the “big” free agent signing of the summer for the Sixers . He has contributed 21 points per game with 4 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. The scoring is helping and so is his shooting, as he’s shooting 53.6% from the field, 44.8% on his three-points attempts, and 85.7% from the free-throw line. These are all career bests if they can hold up throughout the year. Oubre Jr. has looked like everything that Sixers imagined that Tobias Harris would be throughout his time here.
Mix in the newcomers like KJ Martin, Marcus Morris, Robert Covington, and Nick Batum, along with veteran leader Pat Beverley, Tobias Harris, Furkan Korkmaz, and youngster Jaden Springer, the Sixers have a very versatile group of players that can put some points up as well as keep other teams from doing the same. Look for that to continue tonight, especially with the recently acquired players getting some more minutes.
For the Wizards
The Wizards have Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole. I could leave this section at just that sentence and it would be complete. Kuzma is right in line with what he did last year for the team with the exception of his three-point shooting being down close to 28% on the year. He’s still averaging 22.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 3 assists per game and that’s a pretty good season but it won’t help the Wizards remain at the bottom of the standings.
Jordan Poole came over from the Golden State Warriors in exchange for point guard Chris Paul. He signed a 4-year extension with the Warriors in October of 2022, but didn’t even make it a whole year with the team before being moved on in a shock trade.
While Poole’s stats are down from the past two seasons, he’s still averaging 17.2 points per game. He’s just playing in Washington where it’s a little tighter without the spacing of the shooters he has around him in Golden State.
Besides those two, it’s a menagerie of players that seem to fit on benches around the league and not get minutes in games. But, that’s where the Wizards are right now and where they’ll be for the foreseeable future.
What to watch for tonight
On one hand, the Sixers always find a way to play down to some opponents and this could be that game. On the other hand, the Sixers are riding high on a four-game winning streak and they’re integrating four new players into the lineup. If Embiid, Maxey, and Oubre can maintain what they’ve done to start the season and the team can get some contributions from Morris, Harris, Beverly, and Martin, they’ll be fine.
With any luck, the score will be a little lopsided early in the fourth quarter and fans in Philadelphia may get treated to Jaden Springer and Furkan Korkmaz minutes. Those are always a treat.
Prediction: Sixers 121 – Wizards 103
AP Photo/Matt Slocum
