addByline("Jackson Filyo", "WashingtonWizards.com");
FINAL: Wizards 95 | Sixers 120
SCORING LEADERS
Wizards: Bradley Beal (33), two players (11), two players (10)
Sixers: Joel Embiid (22), Ben Simmons (22), Tobias Harris (19)
SUMMARY
The Wizards were defeated by the Sixers 120-95 on Wednesday night in Game 2 of the teams’ first round series. Philadelphia now leads 2-0 with the series heading back to Washington. Bradley Beal scored a game-high 33 points while Russell Westbrook finished with 10 points and 11 assists before exiting with an ankle injury in the fourth quarter.
Beal made his first three field goal attempts of the game, including layups on back-to-back possessions to give the Wizards a lead after trailing by five in the opening minutes. Washington’s lead didn’t last as Tobias Harris, who scored 37 points in Philadelphia’s Game 1 win, and Ben Simmons got going offensively. The duo combined for 20 points on 10-13 (.679) shooting in the first quarter, leading the Sixers to a 12-point lead late in the first. The Wizards opened the second quarter on an 11-4 run, highlighted by a half-court alley-oop from Westbrook to Daniel Gafford, to pull within four. Philadelphia again went up by 11 before another run by Washington, this time led by Beal, pulled the Wizards within two. Washington shot 14-22 (.636) from the field as a team in the second quarter, but gave up a 14-4 run in the final three minutes of the second quarter to fall behind 71-57 at halftime.
Both offenses went stagnant in the third quarter, combining for only 46 points. Washington shot 8-23 (.348) from the field and 1-7 (.143) from three in the third quarter. After a 13-2 Sixers run early in the fourth quarter put Philadelphia up by 24, both teams turned mostly to their reserves for the remainder of the game.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW
Beal tops 30 points for second consecutive game
The Wizards were once again led by a big scoring night from Beal. After a Game 1 performance in which he became the third player in history with 30-plus points, 10-plus rebounds and five-plus assists, Beal finished with 33 points on 14-28 (.500) shooting on Wednesday night. He scored 24 of those 33 points in the first half, shooting 11-15 (.733) from the field and zero turnovers. He becomes the second player in team history with at least 10 career playoff games with 30-plus points and is now 27 points shy of becoming the fourth player in team history to score 1,000 career playoff points.
Wizards doomed by poor shooting performance
Any hope the Wizards had of keeping up with the Sixers’ efficient scoring was offset by a poor shooting performance from both 3-point range and the free throw line. Washington missed their first six attempts from beyond the arc and started 5-10 (.500) from the free throw line. As a team, the Wizards finished 2-22 (.091) from three and 19-30 (.633) from the line. Despite the big scoring night, Beal was only 1-6 (.166) from deep and Davis Bertans, who fouled out early in the fourth quarter, finished 0-4 (.000) from deep.
Wizards, Sixers travel to Washington for Games 3 and 4
The series now heads to D.C. for Games 3 and 4 on Saturday and Monday nights. The Wizards made good use of home court advantage this season, finishing 19-17 (.527) at Capital One Arena during the regular season. They have won five consecutive home games, including a 142-115 win over Indiana in the Play-In Tournament on Thursday. Washington played most of the season in an empty arena before fans were welcomed back into the building in May – and will now welcome 10,000 fans (50% capacity) for the first time on Saturday. Tickets for both games are available HERE. All fans attending Game 3 will receive a rally towel branded with the team’s tagline “DC Above All” while fans in attendance for Game 4 will receive a t-shirt. Philadelphia finished the 20-16 on the road during the regular season.
NEXT UP: Sixers at Wizards / Saturday, May 29 / 7:00 P.M. / Capital One Arena
HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT