Despite a halftime jersey retirement ceremony for Allen Iverson, the Sixers fall to the Wizards tonight, 122-103.
On a night where the Wells Fargo Center actually looked like it hosted passionate basketball fans, the Sixers failed to get a win for their city. The game didn’t look good from the get-go, as the Sixers allowed the Wizards to score 41 points in the first quarter. Trevor Ariza exploded in the first, scoring 24 points on 9-10 shooting. That was just the beginning.
The Sixers fought back in the second quarter, but failed to take the lead once throughout the entire game. The Sixers ended up trailing by 12 at the half, but during the intermission, the sideshow took the limelight. An incredibly emotional Allen Iverson spoke to a Wells Fargo Crowd of 20,000 strong and brought them to their feet at his conclusion. Sixers legends came out in full force for the ceremony, with Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Dikembe Mutombo, and even Pat Croce in attendance.
Overall, the ceremony was what this city needed in order to keep basketball relevant. It was a brief, but sweet, moment for the fans. They were reminded of what an exciting basketball player/team can do for this city of passionate sports fans. Well done Sixers.
After the ceremony, the Sixers continued their old ways. Their defense was sloppy for the entire second half, allowing Ariza to finish with 40 points. John Wall played exceptionally well tonight, finishing with 17 points and 16 dimes.
For the Sixers, Tony Wroten led the offense with 19 points and was the lone “bright-spot” (and I’m being generous) for the team tonight. MCW got severely outplayed by his Wizards’ counterpart tonight, finishing with 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists, while turning the ball over 4 times.
The Sixers lose their 13th straight game, falling to 15-44, while the Wizards improve to 31-28, maintaining a stronghold on the No. 5 seed in the East. The Sixers travel to Orlando tonight and will face the Magic tomorrow at 6 p.m.
