What a difference a day makes.
After the Sixers crushed the Wizards Tuesday, Washington returned the favor with a 123-106 drubbing at Capital One Arena Wednesday night.
The Wizards were the aggressor all night, forcing the Sixers into mistakes and winning what seemed like every 50-50 ball.
The Sixers were without JJ Redick (lower-back tightness) for the second straight night.
The loss drops the Sixers to 27-15 on the season.
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Here are observations from the loss.
• The Sixers just slept walk through this basketball game. They turned the ball over seven times in the first quarter alone, on their way to 14 for the half. They finished with 23 for the night. Mix that with shooting 43 percent and you're likely not going to win in the NBA, regardless of the opponent.
Sure, it was a back-to-back, but the Wizards were in the same situation. Just a game they flat out didn't show up for.
• Ben Simmons took a pair of fadeaway jumpers, which is obviously the good news. The bad news is he missed both and really got off to a sluggish start.
He turned the ball over seven times and shot 4 of 11 from the field in the first half. He finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, but also those seven turnovers. Including tonight, he's had seven games with six or more turnovers.
He's done a great job of being aggressive and assertive in looking for his shot recently. He turned it on a little bit as the game went on, but it was too little too late.
He did have this beauty of an assist.
Made ya look.
Ben with the little fake, Jo with the bucket. | @Wendys pic.twitter.com/FOPxGM0n5J— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) January 10, 2019
• Joel Embiid was the only Sixer in double digits in the first half with 17 points. He lived at the line, going 9 of 10 in the first 24 minutes. He did take a spill around the eight-minute mark of the second quarter and appeared to favor his knee. He came out soon after for his normal second quarter break and returned a few minutes later.
In a game where the team played poorly, Embiid was a bright spot. He had 35 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks, but also had seven turnovers. Without Embiid, this could have resembled the disaster in Portland.
• Jimmy Butler just looked off to start the game. It was noticeable that there were a couple pick-and-rolls called for Butler, but not much positive came of those possessions.
At times, with Embiid out of the game, it resembled the Sixers' clunker vs. the Trail Blazers. It seemed like players were sitting around and waiting for Butler to make something happen.
Like Simmons, Butler got it going a little in the second half, but it just wasn't enough. He recorded 23 points but went just 7 of 18 from the field.
• For the Wizards to beat anybody Bradley Beal and Otto Porter Jr. have to have it going on and both did Wednesday night. The All-Star guard got hot from three early and kept his foot on the gas. He abused some of the Sixers' weaker perimeter defenders, pouring in 34 points.
Porter, who's been used in a reserve role since returning from injury, gave Washington 23 points off the bench. The Sixers as a team got just 12 from theirs.
In general, it seemed like the Wizards made a concerted effort to go at the team's bench players. And why not? It's worked for many of the Sixers' opponents.
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