Joel Embiid Highlights Key to 76ers’ Success vs. Wizards on Monday

The 76ers' offense was dominant against the Wizards, but Joel Embiid pointed to the team's success on the other end of the floor as a driving factor to the win.

For the third time this season, the Philadelphia 76ers put the Washington Wizards away, collecting another victory for themselves on Monday night. Joel Embiid, who was questionable heading into the matchup, had an early night as he checked out before the fourth quarter had arrived.

At that point, the big man had nothing left to do. He dropped a game-high 34 points, leaving the court with a plus-30, while the Sixers were out in front with an 112-67 lead. 

From the start of Monday’s game, it was apparent the Sixers were going to make it storm from beyond the arc. Attempting 36 threes, compared to Washington’s 23, the Sixers found success on 44 percent of their attempts from deep. 

76ers head coach Nick Nurse noted after the game that the Wizards went into the night looking to pack the paint. It was a logical strategy, considering Embiid had scored 98 total points against the Wizards in their first two battles. Embiid recognized the Wizards’ plan and helped steer the Sixers in the right direction.

“They were loading up a lot trying to take away some of those drives away, but I felt like we just made the right plays over and over,” the big man explained after the game.

Heading into halftime of Monday’s game, it was clear the Sixers were on a path to a major victory. Leading 75-46, a strong third-quarter performance could get Philly’s most prominent players an early night off. Embiid earned his one-way ticket to the bench on Monday, as he scored 17 points on 7-7 shooting in ten minutes of action.

“Just trying to put them away,” Embiid said in regards to the third quarter. “Try to make sure that I wasn’t going to see the fourth quarter. So, I just wanted to be aggressive, not just scoring, just attacking, attacking, and if they were closing out on me just try to make the right play. Obviously, I got lucky, and I made a few shots.”

Success from the field played a major part in the Sixers’ blowout win over the Wizards, but Embiid highlighted his team’s defensive performance as the driving factor.

“We are just playing together,” Embiid finished. “I think depending, some nights you have to go and all, so you just have to keep pressing the issue. Keep punishing them, the other team's defense. But I’m more happy with just our mentality defensively today. We were much better than we’ve been.”

The Sixers gave up over 120 points in five of their last eight outings leading up to Monday’s matchup. Holding a 4-4 record over that time, the Sixers were well aware of their defensive shortcomings, which played a part in their struggles to establish a consistent winning stretch.

While their 146-point showing on Monday against the Wizards was more than enough for Philly to find a win, their ability to hold the Wizards below their season average of 116 points per game was a decent confidence booster for Philadelphia as they look to tighten the bolts on the defensive end of the floor.