Philadelphia, PA -- Nerlens Noel scored 14 points
and added 13 rebounds and three blocks to help the Philadelphia 76ers
top the Washington Wizards, 89-81, on Friday.
With a balanced
attack, the Sixers were able to snap their five-game losing streak.
Robert Covington scored 13 and Jason Richardson netted 12 with
four 3-pointers.
Washington lost its sixth straight and
continued its descent down the Eastern Conference standings.
John Wall
scored 21 points on 26 field-goal attempts with 11 assists, and Otto
Porter contributed 19 points.
"You gotta keep playing. There is
frustration out there. No question. We need guys to step up," Wizards
coach Randy Wittman said.
The 76ers came out of the half
cold, missing their first six shots and allowing the Wizards to
turn a five-point halftime deficit into a six-point lead. At 7:17,
Richardson's 3 finally ended the drought, and Philadelphia hit three
straight shots to get back in a rhythm.
The rest of the third
was back and forth. In the final minute, Thomas Robinson's
offensive rebound set up a Hollis Thompson 3 that gave the Sixers a
63-61 lead with a quarter to play.
Philadelphia would not trail again.
The Sixers used six free throws in the first two minutes of the
fourth to go up eight, but the Wizards fought back. With 4 1/2
minutes to play, Porter hit a triple to cut Washington's deficit to one.
Wall had a chance to put the Wizards back in front on
the following possession but missed the mid-range shot. His 19
misses from the floor set a personal season-high.
In the
closing minutes, Noel preserved the lead with a pair of dunks
and hit 3-of-4 attempts from the free-throw line.
"We wanted to go out and get established on defense," said Noel. "We did a great job tonight holding them to 81 points."
The 76ers got off to a quick start by hitting their first five shots
from the floor. Richardson and Isaiah Canaan each hit 3s, and Canaan
added a three- point play to jump out to a 13-4 lead and force a
Wizards timeout.
After the stoppage, the 76ers' shooting went cold but they still held a 28-25 lead after one.
Ramon Sessions scored the first seven points of the second period
to give Washington its first lead of the game. At the other end, the
Sixers' shooting remained off until Jerami Grant's triple at 7:40.
With 5 1/2 minutes to play before the half, Covington converted a
four- point play that put Philadelphia back in front. The 76ers
finished the quarter on a 9-2 run to lead 47-42 at the break.
Notes: Philadelphia ended a four-game losing streak against Washington ... The
Sixers made 10-plus 3-pointers for the fourth game in a row ... The
Wizards entered the game 12-0 when allowing fewer than 90 points
... Wizards forward Paul Pierce missed his second straight game with a
knee injury.
No comments:
Post a Comment