Wizards-76ers Preview

By KATE HEDLIN
Posted Jan 22 2012 10:00PM

The Philadelphia 76ers and Washington Wizards have seen plenty of each other the last two weeks. That's no problem for the 76ers, who have had little trouble in recent matchups.

Philadelphia will try for its fifth straight victory against Washington on Monday night at Wells Fargo Center.

The Atlantic Division-leading 76ers have dropped two of three, including a 113-92 defeat at Miami on Saturday. While Philadelphia (11-5) didn't have to contend with Dwyane Wade, it allowed the Heat to shoot 54.3 percent and trailed by as many as 21 points.

Louis Williams scored 22 points to lead five players in double figures, but Andre Iguodala was held to a season-low four points and starting center Spencer Hawes missed a third straight game with a left Achilles' strain.

Rookie Nikola Vucevic, who started in Hawes' place, strained his left knee midway through the third quarter, although Philadelphia said he could have returned. He had a season-high 13 points and nine rebounds.

"We hung around and fought there a little bit," coach Doug Collins said. "(Miami) wore us down."

Hawes could return Monday when Philadelphia faces Washington for the third time in 11 days. The Sixers swept a home-and-home series Jan. 13 and 14 by scores of 120-89 at home and 103-90 on the road. Williams averaged 21.5 points in those games.

Philadelphia has won four straight overall against the Wizards by an average of 19.8 points.

The Sixers are eager to get a season-high seven-game homestand off to a good start. Philadelphia is 7-1 on its own court, holding teams to 82.6 points, and it will try to put up similar numbers in a favorable first half of the home stretch. The first four games are against teams with losing records, including a Washington club that is 0-6 on the road while shooting 38.0 percent and averaging 82.3 points.

The league-worst Wizards (2-14) are trying to avoid a third straight loss. They've given up at least 100 points in six straight, falling 100-94 to Boston on Sunday.

John Wall had 27 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists while Nick Young scored 19 points. Washington took an 84-83 lead with 6:06 remaining, but the Celtics regained control with a 10-2 run.

Despite the loss, the Wizards feel they are taking steps in the right direction. After the back-to-back defeats to Philadelphia, their last three losses are by an average of six points.

"Ten days ago we weren't competing at a high level," coach Flip Saunders said. "We've gotten to the point now we're competing at a high level. Now we've got to find a way to close out these games."

Wall has been a big reason for the more competitive play. On Sunday, he shot 9 of 18, recording a double-double for the second straight game. The second-year point guard is averaging 24.4 points, 8.2 rebounds and 8.4 assists the last five games after scoring 12.8 points in his first 11 games.

With Wall playing better, the Wizards, one of the NBA's lowest scoring teams at 89.0 points per contest, have put up 102.3 in the last four.

76ers dominate early and rout Wizards 103-83

By DAN GELSTON
Posted Jan 23 2012 10:54PM

PHILADELPHIA (AP) Even with their best big men out or ailing, the Philadelphia 76ers had little trouble with Washington again.

Elton Brand shook off a stomach virus and had 17 points and nine rebounds, and Jrue Holiday also scored 17 to lead Philadelphia to 103-83 win over the Wizards on Monday night.

Jodie Meeks added 15 points and Andre Iguodala had 11 assists. The Sixers led by 30 in the first half and easily cruised to their third double-digit win of the season against the hapless Wizards.

"It's a lot of fun playing with these guys," Brand said. "It's a fun team to play on."

It's always fun for the Sixers when they play the Wizards.

The Sixers are one of the NBA's early-season surprises and are counting on this week's slate of home games to fatten their record. After the Wizards, they play New Jersey, Charlotte and Detroit, four of the five worst teams in the Eastern Conference.

Playing without starting center Spencer Hawes (left Achilles strain) and forward Nik Vucevic (quadriceps strain), Philadelphia improved to 8-1 at home.

The Sixers must wish they could play the Wizards (2-15) every night. They beat them by 31 points and 13 points on consecutive nights earlier this month, and this game was never competitive.

Brand was sent home from the morning shootaround with a stomach ailment. But he dunked for Philadelphia's first basket off Iguodala's steal, the start of a big first quarter for both. Iguodala had seven assists and Brand 11 points - both numbers above their season averages.

Meeks hit consecutive 3-pointers for a 17-10 lead, and the rout was on. The Sixers made nine of their first 14 shots, setting the pace for a torrid first half.

Brand considered sitting out until Hawes told him in a text he was out. Brand knew he had to play - and that was a good choice.

"The vets had to step up early just to send a message and set a tone," Brand said.

Jordan Crawford led the Wizards with 17 points. They lost their third straight game and remained the NBA's only winless road team at 0-7.

The Wizards, who lost Sunday at Boston, played with little passion in the first half. They walked down the court for offensive possessions, never hustled after loose balls and couldn't convert the easiest of buckets, missing eight of nine shots in the paint in the first quarter. Washington coach Flip Saunders took a knee in front of the scorer's table, bowed his head and rubbed his temples after a string of sloppy plays.

"I'm a little disappointed in that I thought we'd be more energized early," Saunders said. "We were probably tired. You have to give them credit. That's what you do in back-to-back situations, you jump on teams."

About 45 minutes before the opening tip, Sixers coach Doug Collins said he wanted to see if his team had "mental toughness" heading into a game without two of its best big men. Hawes averages 10.4 points and 8.8 rebounds, and Vucevic has had a promising rookie season off the bench.

"My feeling is, when everything is good and things are going well, that's one thing," Collins said. "But when you start facing adversity, are we all going to pull together? I know one thing, there won't be any excuses from my standpoint. I think our players know that. We're not going to go out with the idea that because we're hurt, it gives us an excuse to lose games."

No excuses needed.

Pick any stat and the Sixers dominated. They went 4 of 9 on 3s in the first half; the Wizards were 0 for 5. At one point in the first half, the entire Wizards team had only outscored the Sixers' bench 30-27.

With Hawes out, Collins turned to 13-year veteran Tony Battie to guard JaVale McGee. McGee, averaging 11.8 points, took only two shots in the first half and finished the night with two points.

Sixers rookie Lavoy Allen, who starred at nearby Temple, made all five shots from the floor and scored 10 points. Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young each scored 14. The 76ers committed a season-low seven turnovers.

The Sixers had 62 points in the first half, topping their previous season high for a half (54) set against, yup, Washington on Jan. 13.

Led by Brand and Holiday, the Sixers shot 65 percent in the half (26 of 40) and the Wizards never threatened to rally.

"The first half was as well as we can play," Collins said.

A year ago, the Sixers were a slumping team trying to find their way. In Collins' first season, they started 4-13 before a strong finish put them at 41-41 and in the playoffs.

After this blowout, the Sixers are 12-5 and rolling toward their first winning season since 2004-05.

Notes: The Sixers won their fifth straight over Washington. ... The Sixers opened a seven-game homestand. ... The Wizards led the NBA in blocks with 7.2 per game. They had five Monday night. ... Andy Musser, a sports announcer for 45 years and a former Sixers broadcaster, died Sunday. He was 74. "Andy was my first TV partner and he taught me the TV business," Collins said. "There was no better pro than him and we're all going to miss him."

Notebook: Sixers 103, Wizards 83

By Andy Jasner, for NBA.com
Posted Monday January 23, 2012 10:07PM

THE FACTS: Elton Brand and Jrue Holiday scored 17 points each, and the Philadelphia 76ers cruised to a 103-83 victory over the Washington Wizards Monday night at the Wells Fargo Center. Brand was a game-time decision with gastroenteritis, but he responded with 29 solid minutes. Jodie Meeks scored 15 points while Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young had 14 points each. The Sixers improved to 12-5 overall and 8-1 at home. They also defeated the Wizards for the third time this season.

Jordan Crawford paced the Wizards with 17 points while Andray Blatche and John Wall scored 13 points apiece. The skidding Wizards (2-15) fell to 0-7 on the road and remain the lone team in the league without a road victory.

QUOTABLE: "We had to set a tone. We were short and wanted to come out strong."
-- Brand, on building a 30-point lead at halftime.

THE STAT: The Wizards missed all seven of their 3-pointers.

TURNING POINT: After blitzing to a 33-14 lead after the first quarter, the Sixers kept pushing hard and outscored Washington 29-18 in the second. They made shots, played terrific perimeter defense and simply never let the Wizards back in the game.

HOT: Sixers second-round pick Lavoy Allen scored a career-high 10 points and knocked down all five shots.

NOT: JaVale McGee was a non-factor in this game for the Wizards going 1-for-4 from the field and 0-for-2 from the free throw line. McGee pulled down only two rebounds and blocked two shots, but didn't make an impact on this night.

QUOTABLE II: "I was worried about running into a buzzsaw tonight. But we never let them get started."
-- Sixers coach Doug Collins, on facing the 2-15 Wizards.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Andre Iguodala had seven points, 11 assists and seven rebounds. He had nine assists in the first quarter alone.

INSIDE THE ARENA: It was fairly quiet inside the Wells Fargo Center for a Monday night matchup against the struggling Wizards. The sparse crowd of 10,108 did respond emphatically when the Sixers broke the game open before halftime ended. Former Philadelphia Eagles punter Sean Landeta attended the game.

QUOTABLE III: "It's very difficult to play catch-up. You have to play at their tempo instead of the tempo you want to play at."
-- Wizards coach Flip Saunders.

GOOD MOVE: Collins began the night short-handed without center Spencer Hawes and forward Nikola Vucevic. He still went deep into his bench in the first half, playing nine guys. With home games looming Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, the Sixers need to be as fresh as possible. And Collins is smart enough to know that.

BAD MOVE: The Wizards didn't shoot well, but they also didn't move the ball, either. They had just nine assists on 16 field goals in the first half alone and wound up with 15 assists on 32 field goals.

ROOKIE WATCH: Chris Singleton started at forward for the Wizards and went scoreless with one rebound in six minutes. Forward Jan Vesely had two points and three rebounds while guard Shelvin Mack added six points and two rebounds. Vucevic missed the game with a left knee quad strain while Allen had 10 clutch points and six rebounds in 17 minutes for the Sixers.

NOTABLE: The 62 points scored by the Sixers in the first half was a season-high. ... The Sixers made their final eight shots of the first half in which they shot a sizzling 65 percent (26 of 40). ... The Sixers haven't lost consecutive games all season. ... Philadelphia had a season-low seven turnovers and held its opponent under 90 points for the 11th time this season.

NEXT: For the Wizards, Wednesday vs. Charlotte, Friday @ Houston, Saturday @ Charlotte. For the Sixers, Wednesday vs. New Jersey, Friday vs. Charlotte, Saturday vs. Detroit.

• Wizards: N'Diaye, Turiaf
• 76ers: --

• Wizards: --
• 76ers: --

• Lead Changes: 4
• Times Tied: 2

• Arena: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
• Officials: #55 Bill Kennedy, #56 Mark Ayotte, #34 Kevin Cutler
• Attendance: 10108
• Duration: 2:02