Prior to last night, during the Sixers eight-game losing streak, the team was lacking energy and lacking effort. They couldn't afford to be lacking anything against the Wizards as both Jahlil Okafor and Hollis Thompson were out of the lineup for the second game of a back-to-back. Philadelphia showed more confidence and more fight in this one, outscoring the Wizards 26-6 to start the second half and 34-19 in the third quarter, but a 16-0 run by Washington in the fourth sunk the Sixers, sending them to their ninth straight loss, 116-108. The loss officially eliminated the Sixers from playoff contention.
"I was proud of our guys for a lot in that game. The third period, the camaraderie on the bench, the spirit on the floor," Philadelphia coach Brett Brown said. "We just have to play longer." [ESPN.com]
Down 66-60 with 8:15 in the third, the Sixers began to surge. Nerlens Noel nailed his first career three-point shot. On the following possession, a Noel defensive rebound led to an Ish Smith layup, cutting the lead to one. Nik Staustas rimmed a three the next time down the floor, but Nerlens Noel slammed in a put back dunk to give the Sixers their first lead since the middle of the first quarter.
Washington, thanks in large part to John Wall, went on a 16-0 run to counter the Sixers strong third period in the fourth. Wall finished with 37 points, 16 of which were scored in the final stanza. Wall shot 13 for 26 from the field, went 2-for-4 from beyond the arc while also hitting nine of his 12 free throws. He also added seven assists and four rebounds. Wall scored eight of the Wizards 16 during their fourth quarter run to spearhead the comeback and bring Washington to within 1.5 games of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
“He’s a one-of-a-kind player,” Nerlens Noel said after the game. “His speed is unparalleled. The way he is able to get up the floor and find other teammates, it makes it tough on the transition defense of any team.” [CSNPhilly.com]
The Wizards were down by seven before Wall took the game over himself. A three-point play midway through the fourth gave Washington a 95-93 lead, one they wouldn't relinquish the rest of the game. Wall followed that with a steal that led to a layup, Gortat had a three-point play and then Markieff Morris drained two free throws to make it 102-93. Ish Smith brought the game to within three with 1:15 to play, 110-107, but the Wizards hit back-to-back shots to seal the victory.
“It’s naturally frustrating as a human to go out there and play your butt off and just certain mistakes really helped them close out that game,” he said. “We have to really do a better job of doing the full game plan and following through with it.” [CSNPhilly.com]
Wall led all scorers with 37 while Marcin Gortat had 18 points to go along with a career-high 20 rebounds. The Wizards out-rebounded the Sixers 53-32. Markieff Morris had 16 points and 13 rebounds. Leading the way for the Sixers was Ish Smith with 25 points and seven assists. Carl Landry contributed with 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting, getting some time with Jahlil Okafor hurt. Jerami Grant had another strong game, getting the start in place of Okafor, scoring 14 points to go along with six rebounds and two blocks. Nerlens Noel finished with 11 points, six rebounds, two steals and two assists.
The Sixers are back in action on Wednesday night at the Wells Fargo Center against the Charlotte Hornets, who currently hold the sixth spot in the East, but are tied with three other teams, 11.5 games behind Cleveland.
Brandon Apter is a Managing Editor for Sixerdelphia.com
