The Washington Wizards kept their season alive on Monday night when they defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 4 of their first-round series 122-114 at Capital One Arena.
Game 5 will be Wednesday night in Philadelphia as the 76ers lead the series 3-1.
The Wizards caught a little break on Monday night when 76ers star center Joel Embiid left the game after the first quarter due to knee soreness, which happened when Embiid lost his balance after getting his shot blocked by Robin Lopez. Embiid stayed in the game and completed the first quarter before leaving and heading back to the locker room. Embiid is scheduled to get an MRI on Tuesday.
No Embiid opened many things up for the Wizards, especially in the third quarter, where Washington outscored Philadelphia 32-19. Washington led by as many as 14 near the end of the frame and took a 92-80 lead into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Philadelphia would get back into the game, and took a lead with under three minutes to go. Washington would use the hack-a-Ben Simmons strategy down the stretch, which Wizards head coach Scott Brooks said was a possibility in pregame. The strategy worked. Simmons was 4-8 from the free-throw line in the fourth, and with Washington leading 115-112, Rui Hachimura hit a dagger three to put the game away with 45.2 seconds left.
“We played with more spunk, a little bit more attitude, and then some excitement,” Bradley Beal said after the game. “It just felt like we enjoyed being out there on the floor, we enjoyed playing defense, we enjoyed getting out and running in transition. These are [the things] that make us really good; this is what gave us success at the end of the year.”
Washington got its usual production from Beal, who led all scorers with 27 points, and of course, Westbrook had a triple-double with 19 points, 21 rebounds, and 14 assists, which was his second straight triple-double.
However, the role players stepped up for the Wizards, including Hachimura, who recorded his first career playoff double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds, Lopez had 16 points off the bench, and Davis Bertans added 15.
The Wizards had seven players in double figures.
At this point, this series could come down to the health of Embiid. Philadelphia is clearly a different team without the MVP finalist. However, Philly still has the advantage and still has enough talent without Embiid to get by the Wizards, but anything is possible.
Notes:
-Westbrook’s 21 rebounds marked a career postseason high and were the most by a Washington player since Elvin Hayes had 22 on 5/13/79 against San Antonio. Westbrook became just the fourth player since 2000 to record a triple-double with at least 20 rebounds in the playoffs (Tim Duncan-twice, Kevin Garnett, Nikola Jokic).
-Daniel Gafford, who started on Monday night for the first time in this series, finished with 12 points, four rebounds, and five blocks, becoming the fifth player in franchise history to have 5+ blocks in a game and the first to do so since Marcin Gortat on 4/19/17 vs. Atlanta.
–According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Bertans, who left the game in the third quarter and did not return due to a calf injury, had an MRI on Tuesday, which revealed a grade 2 calf strain. He will need 4-6 weeks for recovery, according to Wojnarowski.
-Tobias Harris led Philadelphia with 24 points(8/24 from field). Philadelphia had six players in double figures on Monday night.
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has been dominant this season and dominant thus far in the playoffs. During the regular season, Embiid averaged 28.5 points and 10.6 rebounds a game, and he has been just as good in the postseason. In three games against Washington, Embiid is averaging 29.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.
Washington has not had an answer for Embiid in the regular season and the playoffs. In six games against the Wizards this season, all 76ers’ victories, Embiid is averaging 29.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.
According to Wizards head coach Scott Brooks, who played with Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon during his NBA career, Embiid dominates like the two-time NBA champion.
“I was fortunate enough to play with Olajuwon for almost three years,” Brooks said on Sunday.
“(Embiid) ‘s doing things that I haven’t seen since. His seventh year in the league, he’s been able to see it all now, and he’s seen all the defenses, seen all the schemes, and he’s skilled. He’s a skilled, athletic, tough, high-IQ basketball player.”
The key for Embiid is health. While he has been dominant this season and in this series, he did miss 21 games in the regular season, so staying healthy is essential for Embiid. However, based on the way he’s trending, Embiid has everything it takes to be the next great center in NBA history.
The Washington Wizards had no answer for Joel Embiid in Game 3 of their first-round series on Saturday night; the MVP finalist shot 14/18 from the field, including 3/4 from three-point range to score a playoff career-high 36 points in 28 minutes of action as the 76ers defeated Washington 132-103 on Saturday night at Capital One Arena.
With the victory, Philadelphia takes a commanding 3-0 lead with a chance to sweep the series on Monday night. Every player in Philly’s starting lineup scored in double figures. Tobias Harris had 20 points and 13 rebounds, and Danny Green added 15 points, including five threes.
Philadelphia shot 58% from the field on Saturday night and shot 51% from three-point range(17/33).
Washington cannot do anything to slow Embiid down. The four-time All-star is averaging 29.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in this series. There was a big crowd at Capital One Arena for the first time this season, and at times, you could hear “MVP’ chants for Embiid in D.C.
“I can’t imagine anybody playing better than him,” Wizards head coach Scott Brooks said about Embiid. “That was MVP-level tonight. Tried different things on him tonight. Good player. He’s definitely a handful.”
Bradley Beal, who had 25 points in Game 3, talked about the greatness of Embiid.
“He’s a special talent,” Beal said. “You gotta respect him and tip your cap to him. Our whole game plan is basically centered around him. He’s a three-level scorer. He can score from outside on the three. He’s not like most bigs in the league; he can put the ball on the floor, shoot 3s, plays like a guard. It’s kind of crazy.”
Russell Westbrook(ankle) was a game-time decision, and to no one’s surprise, the former MVP played in Game 3 and had a triple-double with 26 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists.
“I kind of knew after last game he was going to play,” Beal said. “Even if it was for two minutes, he was going to play.”
Now, the Wizards try to avoid the sweep on Monday night, which won’t be easy. Washington has many questions but little to no answers for what Philly is throwing at them. They tried to insert Davis Bertans in the lineup to get more size and shooting, but that did not work as the team shot 8/35 from three-point range.
Philly is just a bad matchup for Washington. Including the regular season, the 76ers are 6-0 against the Wizards. Even a 60-point outburst from Beal in the regular season was not enough to beat Philadelphia, so it’s going to take an extraordinary performance from a few different players for Washington to get a game in this series.
On Wednesday night, in Game 2 of the Wizards, 76ers first-round series, the versatility of Ben Simmons was on full display. Simmons scored 22 points, grabbed nine rebounds, dished out eight assists, and had two steals as the 76ers routed the Wizard 120-95 at Wells Fargo Center.
Philly now leads this best of seven series 2-0. Game 3 is on Saturday night in D.C. Joel Embiid added 22 points, and Tobias Harris chipped in with 19 points for Philadelphia.
For Washington, Bradley Beal had a game-high 33 points.
Simmons set the tone for Philadelphia early. He scored 12 points in the first quarter, and the 76ers led 35-24 after one. The 76ers pushed their lead to 71-57 at halftime. Philadelphia led by as many as 20 points in the third quarter and by as many as 27 points in the game.
During the regular season, Washington was third in points per game(116.6), but they were held to 95 points and shot 40% from the field in Game 2, including 2-22 from the three-point range.
There was more bad news for the Wizards as they lost Russell Westbrook, who had 10 points and 11 assists on Wednesday night, to an ankle injury in the fourth quarter. Westbrook did not return.
On his way to the locker room, a fan threw popcorn on the nine-time All-Star. Westbrook had to be held back by security. Ultimately, the fan was ejected.
“I wouldn’t come up to me on the street and throw popcorn on my head because you know what happens,” Westbrook said after the game about the incident. “In these arenas, you gotta start protecting the players. We’ll see what the NBA does.”
Unfortunate situation, and something we see far too often at NBA arenas. Fortunately for Westbrook, security was able to hold him back.
Washington will have to figure out what they can do to get back into this series. Clearly, Philadelphia is the better team, but maybe the Wizards can make some adjustments to steal a game or two. The Wizards have won 13 of their last 16 home games since March 18, so possibly, there is a little hope.
With Joel Embiid in foul trouble in the first half, the eighth-seeded Washington Wizards had a golden opportunity to steal Game 1 of their first-round series against the number one seed in the East, the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday.
However, they could not stop Tobias Harris in that first half. Harris scored 28 of his game and career-playoff high 37 points in the first half, Embiid added 21 of his 30 points in the second half, and Ben Simmons had six points, 15 rebounds, and 15 assists as the 76ers defeated the Wizards 125-118 at Wells Fargo Center.
Game 2 will be in Philadelphia on Wednesday night.
Washington had six players in double figures led by Bradley Beal’s 33 points.
“I’m surprised we didn’t win,” Wizards head coach Scott Brooks said after the game. “We went to the game thinking about winning… We were solid but not good enough.”
Despite Harris; heroics in the first half, Washington led 62-61 at halftime. However, Philadelphia started to gain control in the third behind Embiid’s 13 points in the quarter, and Philly would take a 99-93 lead into the fourth. Washington would get the lead to as low as five points with just under one minute left. With a chance to slice the lead to three, Russell Westbrook stepped out of bounds, and Philly would hold on for the victory.
According to Beal, who scored 17 points in the third quarter, Washington did not play their best basketball on Sunday.
“I don’t think I played great,” Beal said. “I don’t think I had a good game. I think we still got a couple levels we can tap into.”
Beal is correct. The Wizards can play better. While Westbrook had 16 points, 14 assists, and five rebounds on Sunday, he did have six turnovers and shot 7/17 from the field, so they can get more from him.
Harris will probably not score 28 points in a half again in this series, but if Embiid stays out of foul trouble, he probably scores more than 30. The Wizards will have to limit everybody else not named Embiid because they have no answer for the All-Star center.
Philly was a little rusty in this contest after a week off, so this was the perfect game for the Wizards steal. However, this is the playoffs, so both teams will make adjustments, but it’s clear after Game 1 that the Wizards, who shot 55 percent from the field, can hang with the 76ers.
Now, in terms of winning this series, Washington will have to play better than they did in Game 1 to get that done.
Notes:
-Harris and Embiid became the first Philadelphia teammates with at least 30 points in the same playoff game since 1990.
On Thursday, the NBA today announced the finalists for six awards that honor top performers for the 2020-21 regular season: NBA Coach of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, NBA Most Valuable Player, NBA Rookie of the Year, and NBA Sixth Man.
The three finalists for each annual award are based on voting results from a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.
TNT will announce the winner of each award during its coverage of the 2021 NBA Playoffs.
Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and Steph Curry are the three finalists for MVP. Jokic, who played all 72 regular-season games for the Nuggets, is the favorite. He had 16 triple-doubles this season and averaged 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game. Embiid, who averaged 28.5 points and 10.6 rebounds per game, led the 76ers to the best record in the NBA. However, he’s missed 21 games, and while Curry ranked first in the NBA in scoring (32.0 ppg) and 3-pointers made (337), fifth in free throw percentage (.916 FT%), the Warriors are still fighting to make the playoffs.
Jokic will probably walk home with the award.
Below are the finalists for the five other awards in the NBA:
Coach of the Year
Quin Snyder, Utah Jazz Tom Thibodeau, New York Knicks Monty Williams, Phoenix Suns
Defensive Player of the Year
Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers
Sixth Man
Jordan Clarkson, Utah Jazz Joe Ingles, Utah Jazz Derrick Rose, New York Knicks
Most Improved Player
Jerami Grant, Detroit Pistons Michael Porter Jr., Denver Nuggets Julius Randle, New York Knicks
Rookie of the Year
LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves Tyrese Haliburton, Sacramento Kings
New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson will replace Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid in the starting lineup for Team Durant in the 2021 NBA All-Star Game, which will be played tonight at State Farm Arena in Atlanta (8 p.m. ET, TNT and ESPN Radio). Team Durant head coach Doc Rivers made the decision to go with Williamson to replace Embiid.
Embiid and his teammate, All-Star Ben Simmons, have been ruled out of the 2021 NBA All-Star game due to the NBA’s Health and Safety Protocols.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Embiid and Simmons were exposed to COVID-19 through their personal barber, who had a positive test result and is awaiting another test. Both players traveled by themselves on private planes and had no exposure to other players or people down in the Atlanta bubble.
Fortunately, both players did not come in contact with the other All-Stars in Atlanta.
After 33 games, the Philadelphia 76ers are 22-11 and are the number one seed in the Eastern Conference. Last season, after 33 games, Philadelphia was 23-10, so they were actually a game better in terms of wins and losses a year ago.
However, this season feels a little different for Philadelphia. Their All-Star center Joel Embiid appears to have a different mindset and is in better shape. Embiid is having an MVP-caliber season and is averaging 29.6 points(career-high), 11.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game. After a slow start, All-Star Ben Simmons is playing elite on defense, and in the last five games, he’s averaging 23.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game. Because of his ability to guard all five positions, Simmons believes he is the best defender in basketball.
After the team’s 111-97 victory over the Mavericks on Thursday night, reserve center Dwight Howard, who won a championship with the Lakers last season, shared his thoughts on Philly’s chances of winning a title.
“We have everything we need, and we have what it takes to win a championship,” Howard said. “it’s going to be on us. It’s going to be on how hard we go out and play every night, what we do when we are not in the games, how we are taking care of our bodies, but also just how we approach every day. We stay in the moment, stay locked in on winning this championship day by day. We can’t wait until the end of the season to focus on a championship. We gotta do it every single day. Coach has been telling us, ‘The preparation process and parade.’ That’s the only thing on our mind.”
Simmons believes that Philadelphia has great chemistry right now, and the best he’s seen since he has been in Philly. Having Doc Rivers around helps, and the team is saying that he is holding everybody accountable. However, it appears they need some more bench help, and it should interesting to see what they do before the March 25th trade deadline.
At this point, Philly will be judged on what happens in the playoffs. We have seen Simmons come up small in playoff situations, and if this team wants to make a deep playoff run, he has to be better. Plus, getting by Brooklyn, who has three walking buckets in Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving, won’t be easy.
Philly is playing good basketball right now, but we still have to wait and see how this team looks come playoff time.
At the NBA level, they’re no moral victories, but when you’re the Washington Wizards, and you’re without three of your best players, well, maybe they’re moral victories.
On Wednesday, the Wizards(24-44) fought and played hard against the Philadelphia 76ers(41-27), but it was not enough as they would lose 107-98. Philly’s Joel Embiid scored a game-high 30 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and for the Wizards, Thomas Bryant had another strong performance as he had a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Bryant not only played well on the offensive end, but he was stellar on defense. The third-year player had a career-high four blocks against Philadelphia. Wizards head coach Scott Brooks was happy with Bryant’s performance, especially what he saw on defense.
“It was the best defensive game I’ve ever seen him play,” Brooks said about Bryant after the game. “I think he needs to continue to focus on that end. We talked to him about it; we showed film on it, and he’s steps up. He’s getting better. He’s a young player that’s developing. Sometimes we want it to be right now, but it takes time.”
According to Bryant, he has been working hard to get better on the defensive end.
“It’s a step in the right direction,” Bryant said about his defense. “Keep improving every day. That’s my main thing. Keep improving, especially on the defensive end. Guarding multiple positions, taking the challenge head-on.”
In the last three games, Bryant is averaging 23 points and 11 rebounds. The 23-year-old Bryant is a solid offensive player, but he must improve on the defensive end if he wants to take that next step.
In the end, what happened on Wednesday is a step in the right direction for Bryant.
Notes:
76ers’ Ben Simmons left the game in the third quarter with a left knee injury. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the MRI on Simmons’ left knee came back clean, and he’s expected to be day-to-day.
-Rui Hachimura continues to struggle with his shot. Hachimura, who scored 8 points against Philadelphia, was 2-11 from the field, and in the last three games, Hachimura has shot 8-28(28%) from the field.
-After scoring 16 points in the fourth quarter against Indiana, Jerome Robinson had another strong game on Wednesday. Robinson scored 19 points, including 2-4 from downtown.
-Washington returns to action on Friday against Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans.
In the summer, the Philadelphia 76ers built a roster that seemed poised and primed to do big things this season. The 76ers got bigger with the addition of Al Horford, retained Tobias Harris, and brought in Josh Richardson from Miami in the Jimmy Butler trade. Add that to what they had in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, Philadelphia appeared ready to make their move.
On paper, this team looked better, but basketball is never played on paper. Chemistry seems to be an issue with this team. Horford and Embiid together is not a perfect fit, especially in this small-ball era, so 76ers head coach Brett Brown finally made the move that seemed inevitable, he decided to send Horford to the bench.
Against the Clippers, with Horford coming off the bench, Philadelphia’s offense looked better, and the spacing appeared to be better, and ultimately, the 76ers would defeat Los Angeles 110-103 in their last game before the All-Star break.
Now, going into the second half of the season, Philadelphia has a few things working in their favor. First, they play well at home. Philadelphia is an NBA-best 25-2 at home, and next, they have the second-easiest schedule the rest of the way.
Regarding Philadelphia’s home record, this team has beaten some of the top teams in the league on their home floor, including victories over the Bucks, Clippers, Lakers, Celtics(twice), Raptors, Nuggets, and Jazz.
However, Philly must play better on the road. The 76ers are one of the worst teams away from home. They are 9-19 away from the Wells Fargo Center, and they have lost to some lousy teams, including losses to the Hawks(twice), Magic(twice), and Wizards.
If the season ended today, Philadelphia would be the fifth-seed and would play the Miami Heat, who have beaten the 76ers two out of three times this season. If that matchup were to happen, with the Heat having home-court advantage, the 76ers could go out in the first round.
Philadelphia went into the All-Star break on a three-game winning streak. If they don’t make their move now, then it might not happen for Philadelphia this season, but with Embiid back, Simmons playing well(averaging 20.8 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 8.1 apg in January and February), and the additions of Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III, the 76ers have the depth and the talent to make their move.
At home, they have proven they can beat any team in the NBA. If they could just be average on the road, this team could make their move in the Eastern Conference and ultimately try to make a run at an NBA title. You can say what you want about the 76ers, but there is just too much talent to dismiss them. If they do struggle the rest of the way, changes will come.
