PLAYER GRADES: Philadelphia 76ers 132, Washington Wizards 115
By AJ Iezzi
After a close first quarter, the Philadelphia 76ers exploded in the second quarter and never looked back. The Sixers scored 72 points in the second and third quarters combined, en route to a beat down of the injury riddled Washington Wizards.
RING THAT BELL.
Every single Philadelphia 76ers player that played scored. Joel Embiid ended up with a small child in his lap, and newly signed Haywood Highsmith made his debut. It was a blowout in every sense of the word.
Landry Shamet stole the show tonight with a career high 29 points, 27 of which before the final quarter. Shamet was one three-pointer shy of tying the franchise record for triples in a game. J.J. Redick sat out due to back tightness, and Shamet filled the veterans role and possibly exceeded it.
The Sixers dished out 39 assists on 49 made field goals. From start to finish, the Sixers were successfully wheeling and dealing the basketball. Ben Simmons led the team with 9 assists and fellow point guard T.J. McConnell chipped in with five dimes.
After missing the past two contests, Jimmy Butler had a strong showing with 20 points on 8-9 shooting. Butler had a strong two-way game. He combined his efficient scoring with excellent defense. Joel Embiid had an effortless 20 and 10, and Ben Simmons dropped 17 points while playing stout defense.
The John Wall-less Wizards played respectable starting and closing quarters, but slogged through quarters two and three, which ultimately made the difference. All-Star guard Bradley Beal scored 28 points on 11-18 from the floor. Jeff Green was the only other Wizards starter in double figures with 15 points. The Wizards bench chipped in for 54 points, but the team’s undoing was their nonexistent defense. Washington allowed the Sixers to shoot 55 percent and gave them 25 free throw opportunities.
The Sixers earned 21 points off of 17 Washington turnovers, while turning the ball over 20 times. The Sixers made more shots than they missed, largely in part to their 58 paint points. The Sixers handled the Wizards in expected fashion.
A. <strong>24 mins | 29 pts | 3 reb | 1 ast | 1 stl | 0 blk | 1 TO | 8-15 FG | 8-14 3PT| 5-5 FT | 1 PF | +12</strong><p>Have a night Landry Shamet ! The rook was on fire tonight. Shamet crushed his previous career high and was spraying threes from all over the floor. Shamet’s work with JJ Redick has paid off and then some. Shamet was curling around screens and using dribble hand-offs to free himself for his eight threes. 29 points in 24 minutes is impressive for a veteran, let alone a rookie. Shamet’s total would have been higher if the game would have been competitive. Before tonight, Shamet looked like a great selection with the 26th pick. 29 points later and Landry Shamet looks like a player plenty of teams will regret passing on.</p>. SG. Phildelphia 76ers. LANDRY SHAMET
JIMMY BUTLER. A-. <b>28 mins | 20 pts | 5 reb | 3 ast | 3 stl | 0 blk | 3 TO | 8-9 FG | 1-1 3PT| 3-6 FT | 2 PF | +20</b><p>If not for Landry Shamet’s red-hot night, Jimmy Butler would have been the focal point of tonight’s game. Butler was effective and efficient on offense. He bullied his way to the basket, and converted on his lone three-point attempt of the night. Defensively, Jimmy Butler had the task of guarding Bradley Beal. Beal is a deadly shooter who moves seamlessly with and without the ball. Butler was chasing him around the floor and contesting every look possible. Another night at the office for Jimmy Butler after a brief two-game absence.</p>. SG/SF. Philadelphia 76ers
BEN SIMMONS. B+. <b>28 mins | 17 pts | 5 reb | 9 ast | 3 stl | 0 blk | 2 TO | 8-15 FG | 0-0 3PT| 1-2 FT | 1 PF | +17</b><p>Ben Simmons seems to always light up Washington. Simmons stuffed the stat sheet in less than 30 minutes. Post ups were Simmons’ weapon of choice tonight. He was scoring and passing with his back to the basket with little resistance. The three steals were a testament to Simmons’ defense. He had great defensive activity, which helped the Sixers get easy looks on offense. With the exception of a few lackadaisical shots and passes in transition, Ben Simmons was a two-way force.</p>. PG. Philadelphia 76ers
C. Philadelphia 76ers. JOEL EMBIID. B+. <b>24 mins | 20 pts | 10 reb | 4 ast | 0 stl | 1 blk | 0 TO | 8-13 FG | 2-4 3PT| 2-3 FT | 1 PF | +12</b><p>Joel Embiid was taking everyone Washington threw at him “down to the weight room” (cc: Marc Zumoff). There were stretches when <a rel=
B. <b>23 mins | 9 pts | 4 reb | 5 ast | 2 stl | 0 blk | 3 TO | 4-7 FG | 0-0 3PT| 1-1 FT | 1 PF | +5 </b><p>Tonight was a quintessential T.J. McConnell game. Whenever parts of the game felt flat, T.J. McConnell upped the ante with his energy. He was diving for loose balls, shooting mid-range jumpers, distributing the ball, and had one of his signature inbound-pass steals. McConnell has played more this season than anyone expected, but his intensity has never wavered. Tonight was another reminder of how T.J. McConnell can move the needle as a high-energy role player on a team with three probable All-Stars.</p>. PG. Philadelphia 76ers. T.J. MCCONNELL
The Sixers looked sharp tonight. The defense was tight and the ball movement was quick and intelligent. Washington is looking its own mortality in the face, but the Sixers handled their business without any drama. The Sixers emptied the bench and two-way players Shake Milton and Haywood Highsmith received a healthy run at the end of the fourth quarter. It was a clean win, that offers another reminder of how forceful the Sixers can be when they play anywhere near their capabilities.
Next. 2018-19 NBA Power Rankings (updated). dark
The win has improved the Sixers home record (18-3) to the best in the NBA. At the halfway point of the season, the Sixers are 27-14 and fourth in the Eastern Conference standings. The Sixers will travel to Washington on Wednesday for a back-to-back.