Sixers Can’t Tear Down This Wall

By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)

Washington 103, Philadelphia 94 – Box Score

With large swaths of Rights to Ricky Sanchez podcast listeners raining down chants of “Hinkie” and “Trust the Process” on an unassuming Wells Fargo Center crowd, the timing seemed ripe for the 76ers to break their 6-game losing streak. Ultimately, Sixers faithful had to settle for breaking the string of unwatchable performances, as the home team fought hard, but ultimately dropped a close contest to the visiting Wizards.

The Sixers led for a large chunk of the game, behind the continued scoring prowess of Jahlil Okafor. By night’s end, the rookie big man had dropped 21 points on 9-13 shooting. With Jared Dudley starting at power forward for Washington resulting in an awkward cross-match, Dudley was able to get free for a few triples. However, Okafor also was able to get downcourt on many occasions and position himself underneath on Dudley, before Gortat could switch back onto Jahlil.

Unfortunately, the good times couldn’t last the full 48 minutes. The Wizards closed the third quarter on a 12-2 run, flipping the game from a 6-point Sixers lead to a 4-point Washington advantage. To no one’s surprise, John Wall propelled the surge, recording 6 points and 2 assists during the run. Wall sped his way downcourt to 23 points and 11 assists on the game.

Washington was able to hold on the lead from there on out, primarily due to their dominance on the glass. The Wizards outrebounded Philadelphia 55-41, including an advantage of 17 to 7 offensive rebounds. The most crucial of those offensive rebounds were the pair the Wizards grabbed to extend a possession in the final minute; the second of those Marcin Gortat (12 points, 11 rebounds) laid back in to stretch the Washington lead to seven, sealing the Sixers defeat.

While Friday didn’t qualify as a win, the fact that the defense picked things up a bit is a minor victory. The 103 points allowed were well below the average of 122.5 in the previous four games after the All-Star break. A competitive contest with a loss simply helping the Sixers remain a couple games behind the Lakers; that’s almost something to cheer about.

Other Game Notes:

• Robert Covington continued his sharp-shooting in recent weeks, hitting 3 of 7 threes, the sixth straight game making multiple triples. RoCo had a terrific, well-rounded outing, recording 12 points, 12 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 blocks.
• T.J. McConnell returned to action after missing one game with an ankle injury, and went 5-10 from the field for 10 points. Still, he and Isaiah Canaan were each a team-worst -16 on the game.