Blast from the Past as Sixers Win

Things started out in a familiar fashion for the Sixers Friday night.  John Wall showed off an improving jumper to go along with his incredible quickness getting to the rim, on his way to 13 first-quarter points.  Offensively, Evan Turner had a shot hit the side of the backboard and a dunk attempt blocked by Wizards guard Garrett Temple.  Dorell Wright even saw the ball slip out of his hands and fall behind him out of bounds on a three point shot attempt.  The Sixers were down 31-24 after 12 minutes and it looked as though they were on their way to another disinterested blowout loss.

Then, a surprising thing happened and the Sixers began playing like the team that made the playoffs last season.  The team began to show some energy defensively, collecting 6 steals and forcing 9 Washington turnovers by halftime.  Those live ball turnovers allowed Philadelphia to get some easy buckets in transition, getting more players involved offensively, and leading to the type of scoring balance that has been a staple of the Sixers’ success in recent years.  That floor balance combined with some incredibly cold outside shooting by the Wizards (just 1-13 from three for the game), enabled the Sixers to break open the game in the third quarter and coast to a 97-86 victory.

Five Sixers players scored 13 points or more, led by Jrue Holiday’s 22 points and 7 assists.  Thad Young had his second straight excellent outing, recording 18 points, 13 rebounds, and leading the defensive charge with 4 steals.  The lone disappointing performance was Evan Turner’s atrocious 0-11 shooting from the field for 0 points, although he did tie for a game-high 7 assists.  For Washington, Wall was the only player to score over 10 points, finishing with 24 points and 7 assists.

The game was an encouraging sign that the Sixers haven’t completely given up on the season.  Although the Wizards were missing Martell Webster and Trevor Ariza to minor injuries, they’ve played better ball over the second half of the year.  Philadelphia’s next game is the home finale against Cleveland; the Philly faithful will hope to see a similar effort from the hometown team.