The Washington Wizards will attempt to win a second consecutive game on the road against a quality opponent when they visit the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday.
The Wizards won 116-98 on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday behind 25 points from Bradley Beal. It was their first ever win on the road against the Thunder since the franchise moved from their previous home in Seattle.
Otto Porter scored 20 points and Jeff Green added 16. The Wizards picked up the huge road win despite the absence of All-Star guard John Wall, who is out for the season following surgery on his heel.
“It’s great,” Beal told the Washington Post. “I told the team that before we walked out tonight, I’ve never won here. Even when (Wizards head coach Scott) Brooks was here, I’ve never won here. So it’s just something I wanted everybody to keep on their mind.”
The Wizards improved to 9-0 this season when they’re able to corral more rebounds than their opponent.
After a tough start shooting, the Wizards finally found their range. Beal wound up 10 of 27 from the field.
“The way we started, it was not looking good,” Brooks told reporters. “They were manhandling us and getting anything they wanted. We couldn’t get to the rim. We couldn’t do anything those first two to three minutes.”
Porter continued to give the Wizards a boost off the bench by hitting 7 of 17 shots, including 4 of 6 from beyond the arc.
“I am still trying to get the rust off,” Porter told reporters. “Coming off the bench allows me to add scoring. I’m doing whatever I can.”
The Sixers own 17 home wins and in their most recent game, they defeated the Dallas Mavericks 106-100 on Saturday behind Ben Simmons’ sixth triple-double of the season. Simmons had 20 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists.
Joel Embiid added 25 points and 12 rebounds.
The Sixers won without All-Star guard Jimmy Butler, who has missed two straight games with an upper respiratory infection. Beyond the illness, a published report on ESPN.com stated that there was friction between Butler and Sixers head coach Brett Brown in a recent film session.
“Jimmy’s been great, amazing for me,” Simmons said.
The Sixers are 17-8 since trading for Butler in a deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“Everybody is trying to fit in,” Embiid told reporters. “We are going to keep working on it. We are inching toward it and we are going to get there.”
The Sixers have won three in a row, though they’ve bolted to huge leads only to let the opponent climb back within striking distance down the stretch.
Simmons, in only his second season, has helped seal the wins with clutch plays in the closing minutes. Simmons’ six triple doubles ranks second in the league behind Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook, who has 12.
“Just being more aggressive, I think, when I take more shots,” Simmons told Philly.com. “They have to play me a different way and I think teams are starting to do that. So it’s easier for me to read the defense and just give teams a different look when they’re guarding me.”
