By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly Editor 
The Philadelphia 76ers (2-9) saw a 24-point lead shrink to as little as three, but they were able to hang on for a 109-102 win over John Wall and the Washington Wizards (2-8) tonight at the Wells Fargo Center. The Sixers looked like they were going to give this one away towards the end as both Jahlil Okafor and Ersan Ilyasova fouled out in the fourth. Leading by just three with under a minute to go in the fourth, Richaun Holmes hit a huge triple from the corner to extend the lead to six, giving the Sixers the padding they needed to close out this one.
For the Sixers, it is the first time they've won two straight at home since March 20, 2015, a span of 53 games. Philadelphia shot 54.5 percent from the floor and outscored the Wizards 50-38 in the paint.
Jahlil Okafor was in foul trouble for a majority of this one, but still found plenty of ways to be effective offensively when he was on the floor. After shooting 2-for-11 against Houston on Monday, he rebounded to shoot 8-for-11, scoring 19 points to go along with five rebounds and two assists. Ersan Ilyasova got the start at power forward and contributed with 16 points and four rebounds, but like Okafor, he fouled out in the fourth. Gerald Henderson added 14 points while Sergio Rodriguez dished out 12 assists.
Meanwhile, the Sixers bench played a big part in the win, outscoring the Wizards' reserves 48-23. Dario Saric earned his second career double-double off the bench with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Nik Stauskas provided a spark as well with 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting. He did have to go to the locker room after injuring his ankle in the fourth, but returned to the game. Hollis Thompson scored 11 and Richaun Holmes had eight.
On the Wizards side of the ball, they were led by none other than John Wall, who at one point scored 10 straight for Washington to bring them within five late in the fourth. He finished with 27 points and six assists. Markieff Morris contributed with 19 while Otto Porter had 15 points and 13 rebounds. Marcin Gortat had a double double of his own with 10 points and 14 boards.
Both Jahlil Okafor and Richaun Holmes got into early foul trouble, sitting halfway through the first with two personals a piece. With Philadelphia down two centers, Brett Brown ran with a front court of Ersan Ilyasova and Dario Saric, and it worked out very nicely. Saric came off the bench to score seven points in under five minutes to help the Sixers double up the Wizards 24-12 with 2:23 to play in the first. Philadelphia ended the quarter on a 15-3 spurt to lead 29-15 after one.
The Sixers kept the pedal on the medal in the second, going on a 9-2 run to extend their lead to 21 just inside 10 minutes to play in the half. Washington inched a little closer, cutting the lead to 10 thanks to the Sixers turning the ball over seven times in the second quarter. Despite that, the Sixers headed into the half up by 11, 59-48 after being outscored by three in the second by the Wizards. Although their 24-point lead was cut to 11, Philadelphia still managed to shoot over 60 percent from the floor in the first half. Jahlil Okafor tallied three fouls in the half, but showed plenty of good signs offensively, not settling for jump shots, but rather using his physical skills for an advantage in the post. He finished the first two quarters with 12 points in nine minutes.
Washington came out of the half on a 6-0 run to cut the once 24-point lead for the Sixers down to five with just over a minute played in the quarter. Lucily, the Sixers got some timely long-range shooting courtesy of Ersan Ilyasova, who hit a three right out of the timeout with the team up just five. He hit another one within eight minutes to play followed by a Gerald Henderson jumper to push the lead back up to 11. Nik Stauskas caught fire towards the end of the quarter, upping his point total to a season-high 15 to help the Sixers to a 12-point lead after three, 88-76.
Jahlil Okafor had to sit once again with 19 points after picking up his fifth foul at the beginning of the fourth. With seven minutes to play in the game, Washington was capitalizing on Sixers turnovers, cutting the lead to eight. Okafor fouled out with 2:53 to play and the Wizards within eight, 101-93. The Sixers took another hit as Ersan Ilyasova fouled out with 1:29 to play and the Sixers up just five. Leading by just three, the Sixers came out of a timeout and Gerald Henderson found Richaun Holmes on the wing for a three-pointer to put them ahead by six. They were able to hold on, sealing their second win of the season by a 109-102 score.
It's a Sixers win, so cue the anthem!
The Sixers head to Minnesota on Thursday for a match-up with the Timberwolves. Joel Embiid is expected to square off against reigning Rookie of the Year Karl-Anothony Towns. Tip-off is set for 8:00 p.m. on TNT.
