PHILADELPHIA — The last time the Philadelphia 76ers and the Washington Wizards met on Dec. 6, the Sixers needed 50 points from Joel Embiid to squeak out a five-point win.
The Sixers wanted to make sure that wouldn’t be the case on Monday. They jumped to a 14-0 lead and they put them away early. Philadelphia led by as many as 48 on its way to a 146-101 win. Embiid didn’t play in the fourth quarter and finished with 34 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.
Afterward, coach Nick Nurse admitted the contest in Washington D.C. had his team focused more.
“The game the other night against them had us a little focused in the practice and the shootaround and certainly at the start,” Nurse said. “Usually, in an NBA game, you’re gonna see this swing back the other way for a while, but our guys kept playing with good assertiveness at both ends almost for the whole game so it was good.”
It was obvious the Sixers played with a different mentality then in D.C. Philadelphia’s defensive effort was much better, and the Sixers did not allow the Wizards to get into the paint as often as on Dec. 6.
“Well, our approach is different,” added Robert Covington. “Our feel for the game. We came out and we set the tone and not allowed them to set the tone like they did last night. We enforced our will throughout the game and we never let up and that’s why we was able to push through and separate ourselves the way we did.”
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