Sixers struggle in second half, fall to Wizards on the road

By Josh Liddick, Sports Talk Philly Staff

The Philadelphia 76ers took their talents to DC to take on the Washington Wizards on Saturday night. The Sixers were in search of their fourth straight win, their sixth in their last seven games.

The Sixers had a strong showing in the first and second quarters, leading by as much as 24-11 with 4:52 to play in the first quarter. However, the Wizards found a hot hand, and took advantage of the Sixers' missed opportunities to tie it at 56 going into the locker room at halftime.

The Sixers surely missed the presence of Joel Embiid on defense and in the paint, as the 7' 2" center sat out of the game due to rest. However, Coach Brett Brown utilized Jahlil Okafor for the first time in four games, and he showed shades of brilliance during many points in the game. While Okafor's defense looked like it could use some work every once in a while, his offensive game looked like it was pretty polished with 25 points on the night.

Ersan Ilyasova also looked strong for the Sixers, as he finished with 18 points and 7 rebounds.

Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot came in for the Sixers off the bench and looked solid with 12 points in 26 minutes, and went 2-for-3 from beyond the arc.

Coming out of halftime tied with the Wizards, the Sixers struggled to make adjustments as they only scored six points in the first nine minutes of the third quarter. They finished the quarter with 15 points, but the Wizards fired from all cylinders with 30 points in the third.

You couldn't tell that John Wall's wrist was injured as he looked spectacular in the second half, where he had 15 points, as his 3-for-4 shooting from three helped contribute to his total of 25 points in the game. Bradley Beal added 20 points, and Marcin Gortat finished with a double-double, with 12 points and 10 boards.

A strong third quarter, all while pulling far ahead going into the fourth and final quarter proved to spell the end for the Sixers as the Wizards walked away with a victory, 109-93. The Sixers' three-game win streak was snapped, and the Wizards' victory was their 11th straight win at the Verizon Center.

The Sixers fall to 12-26 on the year, and will take on the Bucks in Milwaukee up next on Monday January 16, at 3:30 p.m. ET.