Game ID: 22301208
Philadelphia 76ers @ Washington Wizards
Wednesday, December 6, 2023 at 7:00 PM ET
Capital One Arena, Washington, DC
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
WAS 29 33 33 31 126PHI 25 35 39 32 131
PHI @ WAS ScoutingPHI @ WAS Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
WAS availability going into 11/25 · back-to-backOUT Butler missed 2 since 11/22, returns tonight: 16 min (116% of 14)
OUT Muscala missed 5 since 11/15, returns tonight: 18 min (125% of 14)
OUT Wright missed 7 since 11/12, out tonight
OUT Baldwin Jr. missed 4 since 11/17, out tonight
BACK Davis back 11/15 after 3, 7 min since (53% of 12)
WAS availability going into 11/27 · 1 day's restOUT Wright missed 8 since 11/12, out tonight
OUT Baldwin Jr. missed 5 since 11/17, out tonight
BACK Butler back 11/17 after 8, 7 min since (47% of 14)
BACK Muscala back 11/25 after 5, 18 min since (125% of 14)
WAS availability going into 11/29 · 1 day's restOUT Wright missed 9 since 11/12, out tonight
OUT Baldwin Jr. missed 6 since 11/17, out tonight
BACK Butler back 11/25 after 2, 9 min since (65% of 14)
BACK Muscala back 11/25 after 5, 18 min since (125% of 14)
WAS availability going into 12/01 · 1 day's restOUT Muscala missed 2 since 11/27, out tonight
OUT Wright missed 10 since 11/12, out tonight
OUT Baldwin Jr. missed 7 since 11/17, out tonight
BACK Butler back 11/25 after 2, 8 min since (55% of 14)
WAS availability going into 12/06 · 4 days' restOUT Muscala missed 3 since 11/27, returns tonight: 6 min (43% of 14)
OUT Wright missed 11 since 11/12, out tonight
OUT Baldwin Jr. missed 8 since 11/17, out tonight
BACK Butler back 11/25 after 2, 8 min since (55% of 14)
WAS availability going into 12/08 · 1 day's restOUT Wright missed 12 since 11/12, out tonight
OUT Baldwin Jr. missed 9 since 11/17, returns tonight: 4 min (30% of 13)
BACK Butler back 11/25 after 2, 9 min since (66% of 14)
BACK Muscala back 11/25 after 5, 12 min since (84% of 14)
WAS availability going into 12/11 · 2 days' restOUT Shamet missed 2 since 12/06, out tonight
OUT Wright missed 13 since 11/12, out tonight
OUT Davis missed 2 since 12/06, out tonight
BACK Muscala back 12/06 after 3, 11 min since (75% of 14)
BACK Baldwin Jr. back 12/08 after 9, 4 min since (30% of 13)
WAS availability going into 12/13 · 1 day's restOUT Shamet missed 3 since 12/06, out tonight
OUT Wright missed 14 since 11/12, out tonight
OUT Davis missed 3 since 12/06, out tonight
BACK Muscala back 12/06 after 3, 14 min since (98% of 14)
BACK Baldwin Jr. back 12/08 after 9, 10 min since (80% of 13)
WAS availability going into 12/15 · 1 day's restOUT Shamet missed 4 since 12/06, out tonight
OUT Wright missed 15 since 11/12, out tonight
OUT Davis missed 4 since 12/06, out tonight
BACK Muscala back 12/06 after 3, 11 min since (81% of 14)
BACK Baldwin Jr. back 12/08 after 9, 8 min since (64% of 13)
PHI availability going into 11/25 · 2 days' restOUT Oubre Jr. missed 7 since 11/12, out tonight
BACK Batum back 11/19 after 3, 25 min since (96% of 26)
BACK Bamba back 11/19 after 6, 4 min since (33% of 13)
BACK Martin back 11/19 after 2, 5 min since (41% of 12)
BACK Springer back 11/15 after 2, 16 min since (133% of 12)
NEW Melton 26 to 34 min over the last 5
PHI availability going into 11/27 · 1 day's restOUT Oubre Jr. missed 8 since 11/12, out tonight
BACK Batum back 11/19 after 3, 27 min since (103% of 26)
BACK Bamba back 11/19 after 6, 4 min since (33% of 13)
BACK Martin back 11/19 after 2, 5 min since (41% of 12)
NEW Melton 26 to 33 min over the last 5
PHI availability going into 11/29 · 1 day's restOUT Oubre Jr. missed 9 since 11/12, out tonight
OUT House Jr. missed 2 since 11/25, out tonight
OUT Springer missed 2 since 11/25, out tonight
BACK Batum back 11/19 after 3, 27 min since (105% of 26)
BACK Bamba back 11/19 after 6, 5 min since (36% of 13)
BACK Martin back 11/19 after 2, 5 min since (42% of 12)
PHI availability going into 12/01 · 1 day's restOUT Oubre Jr. missed 10 since 11/12, out tonight
OUT House Jr. missed 3 since 11/25, out tonight
OUT Springer missed 3 since 11/25, out tonight
NEW Melton 26 to 31 min over the last 5
PHI availability going into 12/06 · 4 days' restOUT Embiid missed 2 since 11/29, returns tonight: 38 min (110% of 35)
OUT Oubre Jr. missed 11 since 11/12, returns tonight: 19 min (63% of 31)
OUT House Jr. missed 4 since 11/25, out tonight
OUT Springer missed 4 since 11/25, out tonight
NEW Covington 16 to 24 min over the last 5
PHI availability going into 12/08 · 1 day's restOUT House Jr. missed 5 since 11/25, out tonight
OUT Springer missed 5 since 11/25, out tonight
BACK Embiid back 12/06 after 2, 38 min since (110% of 35)
BACK Oubre Jr. back 12/06 after 11, 19 min since (63% of 31)
NEW Beverley 20 to 25 min over the last 5
PHI availability going into 12/11 · 2 days' restOUT House Jr. missed 6 since 11/25, returns tonight: 9 min (61% of 15)
OUT Martin missed 2 since 12/06, returns tonight: 6 min (47% of 12)
OUT Springer missed 6 since 11/25, returns tonight: 9 min (78% of 12)
BACK Embiid back 12/06 after 2, 37 min since (107% of 35)
BACK Oubre Jr. back 12/06 after 11, 21 min since (70% of 31)
PHI availability going into 12/13 · 1 day's restBACK Embiid back 12/06 after 2, 34 min since (100% of 35)
BACK Oubre Jr. back 12/06 after 11, 20 min since (65% of 31)
BACK House Jr. back 12/11 after 6, 9 min since (61% of 15)
BACK Martin back 12/11 after 2, 6 min since (47% of 12)
BACK Springer back 12/11 after 6, 9 min since (78% of 12)
PHI availability going into 12/15 · 1 day's restBACK Embiid back 12/06 after 2, 34 min since (97% of 35)
BACK Oubre Jr. back 12/06 after 11, 21 min since (68% of 31)
BACK House Jr. back 12/11 after 6, 8 min since (54% of 15)
BACK Martin back 12/11 after 2, 5 min since (40% of 12)
BACK Springer back 12/11 after 6, 8 min since (68% of 12)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Washington comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 129, shooting 49 percent and 37 from three, 25 free throws a game; Kuzma at 23 and Poole at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. 4 days' rest. Philadelphia comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 116, shooting 47 percent and 39 from three, 28 free throws a game; Maxey at 27 and Melton at 15 a game. Without Embiid (2 straight), Oubre Jr. (11 straight), House Jr. (4 straight). 4 days' rest.
So: Philadelphia wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Philadelphia has been plus-3 a night and Washington minus-7 and the defense, Philadelphia allowing 116 a night to Washington's 129. Call it Philadelphia 122, Washington 118, Washington keeping it close.
11/25 vs ATL 108-136 — WAS notes
WAS lost 108-136. WAS shot 49% (43 of 88) to ATL's 51%, 10 of 38 from three, and got to the line 12 times to ATL's 20. WAS turned it over 20 times to ATL's 9, and ATL turned those into 13 steals. Butler led with 13 (5 of 8, 2 of 4 from three); Kuzma added 12, Gafford 12. Q4 was theirs, 30-29, the deficit cut from 29 to 28, but the other 3 periods went 107-78 against them. Kispert's -28 in 28 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/27 @ DET 126-107 — WAS notes
WAS won 126-107. WAS shot 51% (45 of 89) to DET's 42%, 10 of 29 from three, and went to the line 28 times to DET's 19 — 26 points from the stripe to their 13. Kuzma led with 32 (10 of 23, 2 of 7 from three, 10 of 11 at the line); Avdija added 16, Gallinari 16. The hinge was Q3, 37-29: a lead of 3 became 11, and the lead reached 21. Coulibaly was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
11/29 @ ORL 120-139 — WAS notes
WAS lost 120-139. WAS shot 47% (41 of 87) to ORL's 61%, 11 of 29 from three, and went to the line 35 times to ORL's 24 — 27 points from the stripe to their 20. WAS turned it over 10 times to ORL's 18. The glass went 29-44 against them. Kuzma led with 23 (9 of 20, 1 of 4 from three); Avdija added 22, Poole 19. Q3 was theirs, 33-36, but the other 3 periods went 103-87 against them. Kispert's -18 in 20 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/01 @ ORL 125-130 — WAS notes
WAS lost 125-130. WAS shot 51% (45 of 89) to ORL's 52%, 13 of 28 from three. Kuzma led with 27 (10 of 18, 2 of 6 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Gafford added 18, Kispert 15. Q1 was theirs, 36-31, but the other 3 periods went 99-89 against them.
12/06 vs PHI 126-131 — WAS notes
WAS lost 126-131. WAS shot 57% (52 of 92) to PHI's 51%, 14 of 35 from three, and got to the line just 8 times against 22 fouls committed. The glass went 32-43 against them. Poole led with 23 (10 of 16, 3 of 5 from three); Jones added 20, Gafford 18. Q1 was theirs, 29-25, but the other 3 periods went 106-97 against them. They led by as many as 10. Kuzma's -12 in 34 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/08 @ BKN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Brooklyn comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 111, shooting 48 percent and 41 from three, 22 free throws a game; Bridges at 27 and Dinwiddie at 18 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without Simmons (13 straight), Walker IV (2 straight), Clowney (5 straight). One day's rest. Washington comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 129, shooting 51 percent and 36 from three, 23 free throws a game; Kuzma at 22 and Poole at 16 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. One day's rest.
So: Brooklyn wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Brooklyn has been plus-8 a night and Washington minus-8 and the defense, Brooklyn allowing 111 a night to Washington's 129. Call it Brooklyn 124, Washington 115.
12/11 @ PHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Philadelphia comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 117, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 28 free throws a game; Embiid at 39 and Maxey at 30 a game. Without House Jr. (6 straight). 2 days' rest. Washington comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 126, shooting 49 percent and 35 from three, 25 free throws a game; Kuzma at 23 and Poole at 15 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 9 a night. Without Shamet (2 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Philadelphia wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Philadelphia has been plus-1 a night and Washington minus-9 and the defense, Philadelphia allowing 117 a night to Washington's 126. Call it Philadelphia 126, Washington 115, Philadelphia by 11.
12/13 vs NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Washington comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 134, shooting 48 percent and 34 from three, 25 free throws a game; Kuzma at 21 and Poole at 15 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 9 a night. Without Shamet (3 straight). One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 117, shooting 47 percent and 34 from three, 29 free throws a game; Williamson at 20 and Ingram at 19 a game. Without Nance Jr. (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: New Orleans wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, New Orleans allowing 117 a night to Washington's 134 and the glass, where New Orleans has been minus-2 a night and Washington minus-9. Call it New Orleans 121, Washington 116.
12/15 vs IND — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Washington comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 135, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 23 free throws a game; Kuzma at 22 and Poole at 13 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 9 a night. Without Shamet (4 straight). One day's rest. Indiana comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 130 a night and allowing 125, shooting 52 percent and 38 from three, 23 free throws a game; Haliburton at 22 and Turner at 21 a game. Without Nembhard (2 straight), Smith (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: Indiana wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Indiana has been plus-2 a night and Washington minus-9 and the defense, Indiana allowing 125 a night to Washington's 135. Call it Indiana 129, Washington 121.
11/25 @ OKC 127-123 — PHI notes
PHI won 127-123. PHI shot 46% (38 of 83) to OKC's 44%, 14 of 41 from three, and went to the line 45 times to OKC's 26 — 37 points from the stripe to their 21. PHI turned it over 12 times to OKC's 4. The glass went 49-38 for them. Embiid led with 35 (8 of 18, 0 of 4 from three, 19 of 21 at the line); Maxey added 28, Harris 16. The hinge was Q3, 28-21: a lead of 4 became 11. Harris was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
11/27 vs LAL 138-94 — PHI notes
PHI won 138-94. PHI shot 51% (47 of 93) to LAL's 47%, 22 of 46 from three, and went to the line 26 times to LAL's 13 — 22 points from the stripe to their 9. PHI turned it over 5 times to LAL's 17. The glass went 48-32 for them. Maxey led with 31 (9 of 20, 5 of 12 from three, 8 of 9 at the line); Embiid added 30, Morris Sr. 16. The hinge was Q4, 40-14: a lead of 18 became 44. Reed was the night's best plus/minus at +33.
11/29 @ NOP 114-124 — PHI notes
PHI lost 114-124. PHI shot 52% (42 of 81) to NOP's 54%, 14 of 34 from three, and got to the line 18 times to NOP's 34. The glass went 30-40 against them. Maxey led with 33 (13 of 25, 3 of 10 from three); Melton added 17, Covington 12. Q4 was theirs, 33-22, the deficit cut from 21 to 10, but the other 3 periods went 102-81 against them. Batum's -21 in 14 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/01 @ BOS 119-125 — PHI notes
PHI lost 119-125. PHI took 17 more shots (94 to 77), fed by 15 offensive rebounds, but shot 46% to BOS's 51%, 16 of 35 from three, and got to the line 23 times to BOS's 36. Beverley led with 26 (10 of 15, 3 of 5 from three); Melton added 21, Covington 18. Q2 was theirs, 36-25, turning a 8-point deficit into a 3-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 100-83 against them. Beverley's -12 in 38 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/06 @ WAS 131-126 — PHI notes
PHI won 131-126. PHI shot 51% (47 of 92) to WAS's 57%, 8 of 27 from three, and went to the line 34 times to WAS's 8 — 29 points from the stripe to their 8. The glass went 43-32 for them. Embiid led with 50 (19 of 29, 11 of 13 at the line); Maxey added 26, Melton 19. The hinge was Q3, 39-33: PHI came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 4. PHI trailed 60-62 at the half and won the second half 71-64. Maxey was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
12/08 vs ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Philadelphia comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 118, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 29 free throws a game; Embiid at 38 and Maxey at 30 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without House Jr. (5 straight). One day's rest. Atlanta comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 124, shooting 43 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Young at 31 and Bogdanović at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Johnson (5 straight), Fernando (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Philadelphia wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Philadelphia has been plus-5 a night and Atlanta minus-7 and the line, where Philadelphia takes 29 free throws a game to Atlanta's 22. Call it Philadelphia 125, Atlanta 116.
12/11 vs WAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Philadelphia comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 117, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 28 free throws a game; Embiid at 39 and Maxey at 30 a game. Without House Jr. (6 straight). 2 days' rest. Washington comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 126, shooting 49 percent and 35 from three, 25 free throws a game; Kuzma at 23 and Poole at 15 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 9 a night. Without Shamet (2 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Philadelphia wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Philadelphia has been plus-1 a night and Washington minus-9 and the defense, Philadelphia allowing 117 a night to Washington's 126. Call it Philadelphia 126, Washington 115, Philadelphia by 11.
12/13 @ DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Detroit comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 120, shooting 48 percent and 31 from three, 21 free throws a game; Cunningham at 23 and Bogdanović at 18 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Duren (2 straight). One day's rest. Philadelphia comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 127 a night and allowing 118, shooting 50 percent and 40 from three, 27 free throws a game; Embiid at 41 and Maxey at 28 a game. That is 3 straight wins. One day's rest.
So: Philadelphia wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Philadelphia at 40 percent from three to Detroit's 31 and the line, where Philadelphia takes 27 free throws a game to Detroit's 21. Call it Philadelphia 120, Detroit 113.
12/15 vs DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Philadelphia comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 130 a night and allowing 115, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 31 free throws a game; Embiid at 41 and Maxey at 22 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest. Detroit comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 122, shooting 47 percent and 29 from three, 23 free throws a game; Cunningham at 21 and Bogdanović at 21 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Duren (3 straight), Bagley III (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Philadelphia wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Philadelphia has been plus-4 a night and Detroit minus-7 and the arc, Philadelphia at 39 percent from three to Detroit's 29. Call it Philadelphia 125, Detroit 109, Philadelphia by 16.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
PHIDM D. Melton
JE J. Embiid
KO K. Oubre Jr.
MM M. Morris Sr.
NB N. Batum
PB P. Beverley
PR P. Reed
RC R. Covington
TH T. Harris
TM T. Maxey
WASBC B. Coulibaly
CK C. Kispert
DA D. Avdija
DG D. Gafford
DG D. Gallinari
JB J. Butler
JP J. Poole
KK K. Kuzma
MM M. Muscala
TJ T. Jones
PHI/WAS the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Joel Embiid scores season-high 50 points, 76ers beat Wizards 131-126
WASHINGTON -- — Joel Embiid scored a season-high 50 points and had 13 rebounds to help the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Washington Wizards 131-126 on Wednesday night.
Embiid reached 50 points for the sixth time in his career. He had a career-best 59 on Nov. 13, 2022, against Utah.
The reigning NBA MVP was 19 of 24 from the field, making a 3-pointer on two attempts, and hit 11 of 13 free throws. He also had seven assists and six turnovers in just over 38 minutes after returning from a two-game absence with an illness.
“Sometimes your team needs you to be a playmaker, sometimes they need you to score and I felt like it was one of those nights where I had to be aggressive and get it going,” Embiid said. “But they made passes, they made the right plays every single time and I just finished them.”
Tyrese Maxey added 26 points and also had seven assists.
“He should have had 60,” Maxey joked about Embiid’s night.
“It was quite 50,” teammate De’Anthony Melton added. “He was just going out there effortlessly shooting the ball and scoring.”
Jordan Poole led Washington with 23 points. The Wizards are 3-17.
Trailing 99-95, the Wizards opened the fourth quarter with a 5-0 run to retake the lead in a game that featured 22 changes and 13 ties. But after leading 102-101 with 8:48 remaining, the 76ers pushed the advantage to eight and held on.
Washington cut it to 122-119 on Poole’s 3-pointer with 2:17 remaining, but it was the closest the Wizards would get.
“In general, I thought the effort, the overall intent was better tonight. The defensive disposition was much better,” Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. “So you come up short, but I thought that was somewhat of a bounce-back for us.”
Embiid was assessed a technical for slamming the ball down after being called for traveling with 2:36 remaining in the third as Washington extended its lead to 95-89. But Embiid’s frustration was a spark, and Philadelphia ended the quarter on a 10-0 run.
“He’s our safety valve – offensively, defensively. That’s why he’s the MVP,” Melton said. “He covers up for a lot of our mistakes defensively and then offensively he can bail us out late and make some shots.”
Melton had 18 points for Philadelphia. Kyle Oubre Jr. returned after missing 11 games after being struck by a vehicle on Nov. 11 in a hit-and-run incident in downtown Philadelphia. He had 12 points in 19 minutes.
“I was worried about him a little bit,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said. “I was worried about him in the half about what kind of rotation I was going to use with him in the second half, but his second half was amazing. I thought he was kind of the spark with a bunch of stuff, so really happy.”
Tyus Jones had 20 points for Washington, Daniel Gafford added 18 and Kyle Kuzma and Corey Kispert each had 16.