Joel Embiid Pays Respect to Bradley Beal, Wizards on Tuesday
Tuesday’s game between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Washington Wizards was a battle between two teams that are currently on different paths. The Sixers, who won their previous eight games going into Tuesday’s matchup, are contenders in the Eastern Conference.
Meanwhile, the Wizards are still trying to find their identity while struggling to remain in the playoff picture with a 13-21 record leading up to the game.
When the matchup tipped off, the Sixers looked like the clear-cut superior team on Tuesday, but that quickly changed. As Washington started to find a rhythm from the field and minimized their turnovers after a sloppy start, the tables turned.
Lately, the Sixers have been known to trail in the first half of games but complete comebacks in the fourth quarter. While the 76ers teased a possible third-straight comeback win on Tuesday night in Washington, they came up short.
After the loss, Sixers center Joel Embiid was asked whether or not the red-hot Sixers overlooked the Wizards, who are out of the early playoff picture at this point in the year.
“I don’t think I did,” said Embiid. “I don’t think my teammates did either.”
Over the Sixers’ seven-game stretch at home, there have been mixed answers about whether the 76ers naturally take weaker teams lightly or not when heading into a matchup. On Tuesday, one might’ve assumed the Sixers did overlook the Wizards, but the team’s star big man claims that every opponent in front of them gets the same respect.
“It’s the NBA,” Embiid continued. “You can lose on any given night.”
Prior to Tuesday’s loss, the Sixers already had a loss against the Wizards back in November. Granted, Embiid wasn’t on the floor at the time as he was battling an illness, but Washington proved it could be a threat when everything is clicking.
“That’s a good team that’s got a lot of good players,” Embiid finished. “(Bradley Beal), (Kristaps) Porzingis, (Kyle) Kuzma, and all those guys. So that’s a good team. They’re better than what their record is, but that’s not an excuse to lose against them. We just didn’t have it tonight.”
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.