In what was a blowout for most of the game, the Philadelphia 76ers managed to edge out a 118-113 win over a short-handed Washington Wizards team.
This was a blowout that ended with a headache. The Philadelphia 76ers were thoroughly in control for the first three quarters, riding a career night from Ben Simmons and a strong defensive outing from Joel Embiid.
Then the fourth quarter happened.
Jodie Meeks got hot, while Bradley Beal (who returned from a facial contusion suffered earlier in the game) led an unexpected Washington run. That led to the last four minutes, during which the Wizards broke out an irritating — and effective — hack-a-Ben Simmons strategy.
Roughly between the four and two-minute marks, Simmons attempted 24 free throws and was fouled on over 10 straight possessions. That added up to a franchise-record 35 free throw attempts for the team in the fourth quarter, as well as 101 between both teams in the game. Simmons went 15-29 from the line on the night.
For the most part, this was a positive showing for the Sixers. They were blowing out a team they’re supposed to beat for three quarters, and got caught on the wrong end of a run late in the game. Hack-a-Simmons is bound to happen more going forward, though, so the Sixers will need to adjust to that possibility.
The Sixers are now 12-8 heading into tomorrow night’s matchup with the league-leading Boston Celtics — a game in which they won’t have Joel Embiid. Despite a road-heavy schedule with a number of high-end opponents, Philly is in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race and this game was another example of the growth they’ve made.
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See you all around the same time tomorrow.