The Philadelphia 76ers are in Washington to take on the Wizards on Wednesday night. The Sixers need just one more loss or a Brooklyn Nets win to ensure they have the fifth-worst record in the league and a greater chance of keeping their first-round pick in the upcoming draft.
As of now, the team has lost 12 games in a row. They are doing their best (or worst) and relying on some luck. The Wizards haven’t had much to play for other than pride, and that’s what they’ll be doing tonight.
Sixers game information
Who: Philadelphia 76ers (23-56) at Washington Wizards (17-62)
When: 7 p.m. EST
Where: Capitol One Arena, Washington DC
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Latest on the Sixers
The Sixers are coming into the game against the Wizards riding low on a twelve-game losing streak, and tonight could be the night they break that slump. While the overwhelming consensus is that they need one more loss to keep the Nets at bay for the fifth-worst record in the league, the team doesn’t want to end the season on a 15-game losing streak.
Players like Quentin Grimes, Justin Edwards, Adem Bona, Jared Butler, Lonnie Walker IV, and Guerschon Yabusele have done as much as possible with the time they have given them. The issue isn’t effort; it’s more about talent, and the team they field each night was never meant to be on the court together. While the effort is there, it’s hard to compete when nine players from your opening night roster are out with injuries, as they are for the Sixers tonight. In addition, Edwards and Grimes are both listed as questionable for the game.
Latest on the Wizards
The Wizards have lost three games in a row after beating the Kings, 116-111, last Wednesday. Before that, you’d have to return to March 26th for their only other win in their last ten games. Coincidentally, that game was a 119-114 victory over these very same Sixers. The Wizards have committed to a rebuild, which will take another two seasons, and they’re sticking with it.
Bringing in players like Marcus Smart, Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey, and Khris Middleton hasn’t done much to get the team to win. Smart and Middleton are seasoned veterans who can help a team with a good bit of quality young talent. After next season, both players’ contracts will come off the books. The goal is to start competing in the 2026-27 season with money to spend on developing draft picks.
Young players like Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington, and Bilal Coulibaly have the talent to give the team quality players for quite a long time, while Poole, Saddiq Bey, and Cory Kispert are all just 26 years old and will be in their prime years when the team is looking to compete. For now, the team will be towards the lower part of the conference and league standings and they seem to be fine with that.
What to watch for tonight
The excitement of whether a team can continue to lose is not something that people are used to in Philadelphia, but that’s where Sixers fans are these days. Winning games, with the risk that comes along with not having the worst record they possibly can, is rolling the dice on the future of the franchise. For the young players that are featured each night, some won’t be back with the team next year or see the types of minutes that they’re getting. It’s a chance to audition for next season, whether it’s in Philly or not.
If Grimes and Edwards aren’t able to play, then players like Walker IV, Bona, Butler, and Marcus Bagley will step up to provide some edge-of-the-seat excitement. While it’s not the “we’re playing for a top seed in the conference” type of excitement, it will have you yelling at the television or cheering nonetheless.
At this point, in this derailed season, it’s not so much about who’s playing, but it’s become more about “who cares?” For fans, that’s a tough pill to swallow. Either way, as fans, you can take solace in knowing that the players you’re watching close out the season for the beloved Sixers, whom you may not get to see again in the home team’s uniform and, unfortunately, in any type of NBA uniform.
Prediction
Sixers 115 – Wizards 108
