StatFox.com - Sports Handicapping Community

The Leader In Sports Handicapping

Sixers, Wizards meet on Sunday
By: Sam Chase - StatFox
Published: 2/23/2018  at  3:10:00 PM
  Print This Article    

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

at WASHINGTON WIZARDS

Tip-off: Sunday, 8:00 p.m. ET
Line: NA, Total: NA

The Sixers look to pick up momentum down the stretch against a tough conference opponent.

The Philadelphia 76ers opened post-All-Star break play with as exciting of a game as anyone could have hoped for, winning a back-and-forth 116-115 contest in Chicago on Thursday night that featured plenty of highlights from the team's stars. After the win, the Sixers were seventh in the East and had a 3.5-game cushion on the ninth-place Pistons, a margin that is bigger than it may seem with only 26 regular season games remaining for Philly. That said, they still need to get a steady stream of wins down the stretch as they look to make their first post-Process postseason appearance. They'll get a good test on Sunday night in Washington, where they'll take on a Wizards team that is fighting for home-court advantage in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Washington also got an encouraging win on Thursday, winning 110-103 at Cleveland on national television. They've been without PG John Wall for a few weeks—and will be without him for a few more—and need to avoid racking losses in the absence of their franchise player. Washington and Philly have played thrice thus far this season, with Philadelphia winning two of three—including a 115-102 win at home on February 6.

Philly's present and future are in the hands of young stars C Joel Embiid and PG Ben Simmons, each of whom showed out on Thursday night against the Bulls. Simmons, a rookie, posted a career-high 32 points to go along with seven rebounds and 11 assists, while Embiid, fresh off starting in the All-Star Game, put up 30 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, four blocks and three steals. Each of these guys is a unicorn. Simmons is a muscled 6-10 point guard with generational court vision (and no jump shot), while Embiid is arguably already the league's best scoring and defensive big man less than 80 games into his pro career. Simmons is a downright bad free throw shooter, especially for his position, but was his two free throws with five seconds left that lifted the Sixers over the Bulls. The rest of the starting lineup played its roles to perfection, as well: SG J.J. Redick hit three three-pointers, SF Robert Covington was +13 on the court despite an off night shooting the ball thanks to his strong perimeter D, and PF Dario Saric pitched in 13 points and eight boards. The trio combined for 50 points last time the Sixers played the Wizards. SG Marco Belinelli is a recent addition to the squad after having been bought out by Atlanta right before the break. He was strong in his debut, scoring 17 points against Miami on the 14th, but was a team-worst -14 against Chicago.

With Wall out, the Wizards' unquestioned leader on offense is SG Bradley Beal. The All Star has shown he can carry that weight, scoring 36 in a win over the Knicks in the last game before the break. But what was more encouraging was the fact that Washington beat Cleveland despite Beal scoring "only" 18 points, and the fact that he chipped in nine assists to help his teammates out. (He scored 30 in Washington's loss to Philadelphia earlier this month.) Such a balanced scoring attack may very well be the way forward for the Wizards, and young SF Kelly Oubre Jr. will be the x-factor to make that work. He scored 17 against the Cavs and was a game-best +15 on the floor, further demonstrating the leap he has made this season to become one of the NBA's best sixth men. SF Otto Porter Jr., who can probably no longer be called underrated due to his max contract, remains overlooked by NBA fans. The three-and-D wing is as consistent as they come as a shooter, and he had 15 points and eight rebounds against the Cavs. SF Tomas Satoransky, who moved into the starting lineup upon Wall's injury, also had an excellent game, putting up 17 points and eight assists. He had 25 points in a recent game against the Bulls and he, like the rest of this Wizards supporting cast, is largely overlooked by fans from around the league. PF Markieff Morris and C Marcin Gortat round out the starting lineup. Gortat's performance down low is a particular concern against teams like the Sixers that have star big men, as the Polish center's performance is starting to noticeably decline as he enters his mid-30s.


FoxSheets.com
The FoxSheets - the most advanced sports handicapping information available on the internet.
Sign up for professional sports betting information including fantastic trends, and Free FoxSheets.
E-mail: