Washington Wizards topple over the 76ers 119-90
The Washington Wizards recorded their 17th road win last night in the City of Brotherly Love, as they defeated the Philadelphia 76ers by a 29-point margin. They completed the commanding win despite not having their best player on the court.
Starting point guard John Wall did not participate in this game due to a coaches decision. Randy Wittman just felt like the fifth-year man out of Kentucky was taking a heavy load, and he wanted to give him some time off. The Wizards also rested starting power forward Nene, who is averaging 11 points and 5.1 rebounds per game this season.
The starting lineup last night consisted of two players that have started in less than ten games this season. Backup point guard Ramon Sessions made his first start in a Wizards uniform, and backup power forward Drew Gooden made his sixth start of the year.
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Although Gooden only recorded four points in this game, he contributed in other ways with five assists and five rebound. Sessions totaled 19 points and seven assists while knocking down 5-of-7 from the field. He obviously did a terrific job filling in for Wall.
The star of the game for Washington was their second-best player Bradely Beal. The starting shooting guard attempted three shots from downtown, hitting all of them and recording 21 points in only 23 minutes.
Three players off the Wizards bench finished with point totals in the double-digits, including the newly-acquired Will Bynum. The Wizards acquired the veteran point guard after spending the last six years with the Detroit Pistons. He recorded ten points yesterday while receiving 19 minutes, but he shouldn’t expect to receive much playing time in the playoffs.
The Wizards scored 70 points in the first half of this game, recorded 35 in each of the first two quarters. Although the 76ers do have a weak team, their defense happens to be a strong-suit. They are ranked 18th in points allowed, as they give up 100.7 points per game. With that being said, scoring 119 points without your best player is a pretty impressive feat.
After trading away their only real star in Michael Carter-Williams prior to the trade deadline, the Sixers are in full blown rebuilding mode. They have struggled this season, so Washington was expected to come out on top in this game. However, the fashion in which they did this was a little shocking.
The Wizards will head to Brooklyn tomorrow night before returning back to the Verizon Center for their final home game of the regular season. Only four games remain Wizards fans!