Joel Embiid led the host Philadelphia 76ers to a 146–128 victory over the Washington Wizards with 48 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists on Monday.
After losing to the Milwaukee Bucks in the season opener, Tyrese Maxey added 22 points and a career-high 11 assists, Tobias Harris scored 18 points, and De’Anthony Melton scored 14. The Sixers won their fifth straight game.
After being acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Clippers for James Harden, Nicolas Batum scored 11 points in his 76ers debut.
Kyle Kuzma led the struggling Wizards; Jordan Poole followed with 23 and Deni Avdija with 16 with 28 points.
To start the season, the Wizards have lost five of six games and four in a row.
Maxey dribbled the length of the court for a basket, giving the 76ers a 133-107 lead with 8:26 remaining in the fourth quarter. The team continued to play aggressively. The remainder of the way, they won handily.
After Harris’ dunk with 3:37 left in the second half, Philadelphia, who had dominated the first half, took a 64-43 lead.
Kuzma scored 19 points in the first half on 8 of 14 shots, trying to keep the Wizards close. With 1:07 remaining, he made a 3-pointer, but Washington was still behind 71-56.
Thanks in large part to the 19 points, 16 rebounds, and four 3-pointers from Embiid, Melton, and Harris, Philadelphia was up 75-58 at the half.
The Wizards’ five blocked shots in the first half came from Daniel Gafford.
Early in the third, Maxey and Embiid made consecutive pick-and-rolls in the low post, giving them an 88-70 lead.
Kuzma made a three-pointer from the corner, putting the Wizards behind 94-79 with 6:27 remaining in the third quarter, .
On the following possession, Embiid easily scored by putting pressure on Gafford in the paint.
Patrick Beverley scored a 3-pointer off the bench to give the 76ers a 110-88 lead with 3:02 remaining.
Embiid, who had scored 29 points in the third quarter alone, made a three-point play to give his team a commanding 115-93 lead with 1:55 remaining.
