What a game. The Philadelphia 76ers (23-49) hosted the Washington Wizards (15-56) faced off in a matchup of two of the NBA’s worst teams. The Sixers, who are doing everything within their power to retain their first-round pick (top-six protected to OKC), came into the night with every opportunity to win and every reason to lose, as did the Wizards.
For most of the season, the Wizards were the worst team in the league. After adding veterans like Marcus Smart and Khris Middleton—or trading away Kyle Kuzma, depending on how you feel about Kuzma, the Wizards have looked far more capable, but what was to come in the first quarter was truly unexpected.
The Wizards dropped 45 points in the opening quarter, the most first-quarter points the team has scored in the history of their franchise. Philadelphia would step up defensively in the second quarter but would still find themselves down nine at the half.
A fourth-quarter flurry would bring the game within four—seemingly three before a premature goaltend was reversed, but Washington would ultimately outlast Philadelphia by a final score of 119-114.
What went right
Another solid night of production from Guerschon Yabusele and Justin Edwards. Yabu not only looked good but also refreshed, which has been a struggle at this point in the season. Having spent the past five years in the Euroleague, where teams play between 34-41 games, depending on the playoffs, Yabusele has been tasked with far more this season. He’s already played 67 games and is averaging more minutes per game than any season in the Euroleague.
Yabusele has not once complained. In his mind, he not only enjoyed the opportunity to return to the NBA but also showcased his ability and gave his all to his team each and every night. This mentality and the incredibly earnest nature with which he approaches the game will make Yabusele an attractive target in free agency, alongside his production, of course.
Still, Philadelphia is desperately hoping that he remains within financial range, as he’s been one of the brightest spots in a very dark season for the Sixers.
What went wrong
If you want to know why the Sixers’ tank will hold, the best answer is simply defense.
During this six-game losing streak, the Sixers’ opponent scored 50-plus points in the paint AND shot 40-plus % from deep in five of six games.
The only exception was against OKC, who took 52 of their 90 shots from deep (and still shot 46.2%).
Once again, Philadelphia’s lack of rim protection sets the tone. All the Sixers can do to combat it is to collapse the paint. But solving that leads to open shots on the perimeter. Solving that leads to driving lanes that let opponents into the paint. Solving that requires collapsing the paint—which is right back where we started.
Once again, there is no real way to solve this issue until the offseason.
Sixers standings update
For the Sixers to finish this game with a loss against Washington is a major win for the tank. Despite the Wizards’ recent relative success, this game was still a major question mark for the tank’s efforts.
Not far from where this game took place, the Nets hosted the Toronto Raptors in Brooklyn, which was effectively a win-win for Philadelphia. While a Nets win would have ultimately been the best-case scenario, Brooklyn’s 30-point loss is far from a nightmare scenario as it keeps the Raptors, who are now a full three games behind the Sixers and still have the easiest remaining schedule in the NBA.
It’s not a bad spot to be in, but a few more Brooklyn wins would go a long way. Thankfully, the Nets still have matchups against Washington, New Orleans, and Toronto ahead of them.
Up next for the Sixers
Philadelphia will remain home as they await yet another late-season back-to-back (Who the hell made this schedule?), this time against the Miami Heat and the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.
Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 29, and you can watch the game on NBC Sports Philadelphia or listen live at 97.5 FM, the Fanatic.
