Wizards Spell Defeat for Sixers on MLK Day

By Sean Kennedy

With many of the nation’s schools and workplaces off in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., fans in the capital were treated to a Monday matinee between the Sixers and their Wizards. Fortunately for them, it turns out the Sixers struggle shooting the ball and playing defense just as much during the day as they have at night. Despite a late rally by a lineup featuring Spencer Hawes and four bench players, the Sixers fell 107-99 to lose their third straight game.

Philadelphia once again struggled with their outside shooting, hitting just 4 of their 18 attempts, making them 8-57 (14%) over their last 3 games. The only reason the team didn’t completely implode offensively was due to the phenomenal play of rookie point guard Michael Carter-Williams. Time and again, MCW was able to get past his defender and finish in the lane, ending the game with 31 points on 13-22 shooting. Left-handed scoop shots, stepback jumpers, and finishes in transition, the whole offensive arsenal was on display by the former Orange guard and it was the main thing to keep in mind while the Wizards steam-rolled the Sixers for the first 40+ minutes of the game.

Marcin Gortat was a dominant force down low for Washington, rocking a pointed beard to go with his usual shaved head and really completing the evil wizard look. Gortat finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 blocks, as Thad Young struggled with his defensive assignment against the big man. Brett Brown talked after the game about the possibility of bringing Thad off the bench against teams that have two big men in the starting lineup. I don’t think having one of your best players play fewer than the maximum possible minutes is the best idea, but…tanking.

Bradley Beal also had a great game for the Wizards, with 22 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, becoming yet another in a long list of players this season to hit 3 or more triples against the Sixers. Beal looks fully healthy once again and would appear to be an elite running mate to pair with John Wall for years to come.

The bench unit for the Sixers trimmed a 20+ deficit down to as few as 8 points in the closing minutes and had a couple shots rim out that could have made it even closer. It was the third straight game that the subs at least showed some fight and energy in the second half when the starting lineup had looked stagnant all game. Not sure what that really says about things except maybe all of the losing is starting to wear down some of the veterans. We’ll have to see if this trend continues Wednesday night in the Garden against the Knicks.

Box Score

Notable Observations:

• Hollis Thompson actually led the Sixers in minutes (37) as James Anderson was limited by foul trouble, and made the most of the opportunity. Thompson went 2-4 from behind the arc (which I believe qualifies him for the three-point shootout at all-star weekend) and had a couple nice cuts and finishes at the rim. Thompson has been quiet lately but maybe this performance will get him going again.
• Malik Rose is really into fantasy basketball as not a broadcast goes by anymore without him mentioning it. Tonight, it wasn’t just a mention of players being hurt on his team, but rather his calling Trevor Ariza a top-25 fantasy player (which is almost true, he’s top 30), when talking about all the different things he does out on the court. Honestly, not sure how I feel about this yet because while I love fantasy basketball, it sometimes borders on the ‘not wanting to hear other people’s bad beat story in poker’ territory.
• Wizards fans get free chicken sandwiches in games when an opponent goes 0-2 in a trip to the foul line. Thad Young (editor’s note: it was actually MCW, thanks to reader Steve Glatter for pointing this out) missed both after being fouled in the second half and the crowd went bonkers. I like this promotion because it encourages the fans to go all-out making distracting noise during opponent’s free throws and it’s hilarious thinking about how the player feels when an entire arena cheers wildly at two missed shots by him.

Tanking Implications:

The main thing to take away from this game was the relentless attack on the offensive end by Carter-Williams. The only player on the court this afternoon locked in as a building block for whenever the Sixers regain contender status, his maturation is the main focus of the season and he put on no finer display than against the Wizards. The effort from the young bench players to make the game respectable toward the end was also a good sign for the future, not necessarily because those guys will continue to be around, but because it shows coach Brett Brown is not cultivating a culture of lethargy, no matter the score. 5/5 tanks