Philadelphia 76ers snap three-game losing streak with much-needed win over Washington Wizards

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#Simmons

The Philadelphia 76ers put an end to their three-game losing streak with a 125-108 bounce-back win over the Washington Wizards.

All five starters scored in double figures with Joel Embiid leading the way with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Josh Richardson added 21 points, while Tobias Harris scored 16 points and Al Horford finished with 13 points and nine rebounds.

Ben Simmons was at his aggressive best, recording 14 points, 11 assist, eight rebounds and four steals as the 76ers move to 21-10 on the season.

After taking a seven-point lead at the end of the first quarter, Philly blew the game open in the second behind a 19-0 run to extend the lead to 23 points. 

Bradley Beal's 20 first-half points kept the Wizards in the game, with Philly's lead standing at 65-53 at the half. 

Beal continued to help the Wizards chip away at the lead, cutting the deficit to just four points (84-80) with 1:40 left in third quarter; however, the 76ers immediately responded with a 12-2 run to take a commanding 96-82 lead with 9:04 left.

After struggling in their losses against the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks, the 76ers attacked Washington's zone defence, a response Brett Brown was no doubt happy to see.

“I thought they did a really good job of executing stuff, going to floor spots, setting screens, understanding who to pick on in the zone,” said Brown said post-game.

“Understanding like after you get somebody to play you, now if you can find somewhere in the scheme of things to others to make a decision like ‘who’s got this guy?’ and you get into gaps and seams and from that point, the world makes sense.”

The 76ers shot 52.1 percent (49-of-94) from the field and 42.4 percent (14-of-33) from the three-point line and kept the Wizards under pressure with an energised display on the offensive glass

Simmons led the way with four offensive rebounds as Philly consistently created second-chance opportunities, outrebounding the Wizards 16-7 on the offensive glass and 53-38 for the game.

For the Wizards, Beal finished with a game-high 36 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Isaiah Thomas added 20 and Troy Brown Jr. 19 off the bench. 

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Benyam Kidane is a senior NBA editor for The Sporting News.