WASHINGTON — The Philadelphia 76ers paid a visit to the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night on the second night of a back-to-back looking to remain unbeaten. The Sixers have made it work through the first couple of games to begin the season, but the Wizards offered a tough challenge when considering the pace they play with after just playing on Monday.
When considering the circumstances, this could have been a loss for Philadelphia. The Wizards led this game by as many as 19 as they used a big third quarter, but the Sixers dug deep and once again rallied from a double-digit deficit to win it 139-134 in overtime. This is the third victory for Philadelphia in which it trailed by double digits in the fourth.
The Sixers received 39 points and 10 assists from Tyrese Maxey while Joel Embiid had 25 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, Quentin Grimes had 23 points and seven rebounds, VJ Edgecombe had 14 and six rebounds, and Kelly Oubre Jr. had 17 points and 11 rebounds. Jabari Walker added eight points while Trendon Watford had two points, four rebounds, and three assists in his debut.
Here are the player grades following the comeback win:
Tyrese Maxey: A-minus
The All-Star guard came out firing to start this one. He knocked down 3s early to make the Wizards begin to adjust and then used his blazing quickness to get downhill and attack the basket. He had one impressive play in the first quarter when he played the give-and-go with Embiid to get himself an easy slam. With that being said, Maxey was slowed the rest of the night–at least until the fourth. Overall, though, Maxey was able to keep putting pressure on the rim and continue setting the tone for this group. He fought through how tough things were at times. The force he played with in the fourth was impressive.
VJ Edgecombe: B-minus
The rookie got into foul trouble early which limited his effectiveness. The Wizards deserve a lot of credit for crowding him and making life tough on him every time he touched the ball. What that did do, however, was create opportunities for others. The Wizards paid so much attention to Edgecombe that it created open shots for his teammates. It was impressive to see him have such gravity already. He had a nice spurt to end the second quarter, and a few good moments here and there in the second half, but it looked like he was feeling it on his first back-to-back in the NBA.
Justin Edwards: D
Getting the start in this one, Edwards didn’t produce much. He wasn’t able to find much of a rhythm on the offensive end and had some tough moments defensively. He knocked down a corner 3 in the third quarter for a positive moment for him.
Kelly Oubre Jr.: B-plus
The aggression that Oubre is playing with to start the season is a huge lift for this group. He plays with a herky-jerky style as a lefty and can put the ball on the ground in order to make things happen at the basket. He forced the Wizards to collapse which allowed the floor to open up for the Sixers in this one and allowed the offense to flow. Paint touches are important and Oubre did a terrific job in that department. He also knocked down a handful of 3s as he continues to shoot it well to begin the season.
Joel Embiid: B
The individual matchup between Embiid and Sarr was fun to watch at the outset of this one. Embiid drew a couple of fouls on the second-year man, but Sarr deserves credit for responding the way he did. Overall, it was a tough game for Embiid on the defensive end. He wasn’t able to have a big impact on that end as Sarr got loose for the Wizards and it was a rather large difference in this contest. While Embiid looked like himself offensively, he wasn’t able to make a huge impact on defense. The Wizards were getting a lot of easy looks out on the floor.
Quentin Grimes: A-minus
It was a tough offensive night for Grimes as he missed some open looks that he normally converts on, but he did some other positive things he can hang his hat on in this one. He got to the line, crashed the glass, and made plays with his passing. Things changed in the fourth quarter with his scoring as he helped the Sixers get back in it, though, as he found a rhythm to help tie this game up and force the extra session.
Trendon Watford: B
Making his Sixers debut, Watford scored his first bucket by bullying Wizards rookie Tre Johnson around the basket and finishing a layup. He looked a step slow at times, but that’s to be expected when considering he’s returning from a bothersome hamstring injury. When he gets his wind back, he is going to be a big help to this roster.
Adem Bona: B
The initial stint for Bona was not great as he was unable to make much of an impact. He also had a turnover in his early minutes. He was better in his second stint when he hopped off the bench when Embiid hit his minutes limit and had two big swats at the rim. He was phenomenal in the fourth and overtime as he came up with some huge blocks and the go-ahead putback slam to give the Sixers a late late.
Jabari Walker: B
The lift Walker gave the Sixers off the bench was huge. He finished well around the basket, attacked the glass with aggression, and gave the Sixers an option for dump-off passes off drives. He was also solid on the defensive end as he gave Philadelphia some good production.
Andre Drummond: B
The Sixers turned to Drummond again and he gave the Sixers a big lift. Once again, he was a presence on the glass and he finished some tough buckets around the basket. He has to be making case for himself to be the main backup to Embiid as time moves on.
