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John Wall saves Wizards from disaster vs. lowly 76ers John Wall saves Wizards from disaster vs. lowly 76ers
(35 minutes later)
Isaiah Canaan, the Philadelphia 76ers’ shooting guard, made a three-pointer from the corner in front of the Washington Wizards’ bench Monday night and turned around and stared at his stunned foes. And he kept staring, backpedaling into Wizards Coach Randy Wittman, who had stepped onto the Verizon Center floor to call a timeout to halt his team’s incredible collapse. Isaiah Canaan, the Philadelphia 76ers’ shooting guard, made a three-pointer from the corner in front of the Washington Wizards’ bench Monday night, turned around and stared at his stunned foes. And he kept staring with a smile, backpedaling into Wizards Coach Randy Wittman, who had stepped onto the Verizon Center floor to call a timeout to halt his team’s incredible collapse.
It was the third quarter of the Wizards’ 116-108 victory and the 6-foot Canaan was unabashedly celebrating because the 76ers were in the midst of a 26-4 run, an uncommon occurrence for the team with the NBA’s worst record. It was the third quarter of the Wizards’ 116-108 victory at Verizon Center and the 6-foot Canaan was unabashedly celebrating because the 76ers were in the midst of a 26-4 run, an uncommon occurrence for the team with the NBA’s worst record. John Wall noticed.
Meanwhile, Washington, the team on the floor striving for a playoff spot, had 18 minutes to avoid an unfathomable defeat. Five minutes earlier, the Wizards appeared to be in control of a game they were supposed to painlessly win against an eight-win club missing its leading scorer. They were ahead by 14 points. Then it all came crashing down. Philadelphia rattled off 12 straight points and had a six-point lead as late as with 8 minutes 59 seconds remaining in the contest. “We’re good friends, but that’s disrespect,” Wall said. “You don’t do that. It made me mad, and when I’m mad I play better.”
But the Wizards countered they best way they know how: With John Wall dissecting a defense. The three-time all-star netted 16 of his game-high 37 points in the fourth quarter as the Wizards avoided disaster and beat the 76ers for the second time in four nights. The win was their third straight overall and sixth straight at home.
[Bog: More Wizards fans wanted team to draft Steph Curry than we recalled][Bog: More Wizards fans wanted team to draft Steph Curry than we recalled]
Washington improved to 29-30 and pulled within 1 1/2 games of the Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers, who hold the final three playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. The 76ers (8-52) were without Jahlil Okafor, who was sidelined because of a shin contusion, and have lost nine consecutive games. They remain the front-runners for the highest odds to land the No. 1 pick in the draft. An irritated Wall then did what he does best, with an extra mite of aggression — ignite his unmatched jets to dissect and overwhelm a defense. The three-time all-star netted 21 of his game-high 37 points after the staredown to fuel the Wizards’ comeback as they avoided disaster and topped the 76ers for the second time in four nights.
Marcin Gortat added 13 points in the fourth quarter for the Wizards to complete a stat line of 18 points, a career-high 20 rebounds and five assists. Markieff Morris posted 16 points, 13 rebounds and five assists in his first start as a Wizard. Gortat and Morris, who started at power forward over Jared Dudley, became the first Wizards pairing to record double-digit rebounds in a first half since Jahidi White and Popeye Jones in January 2002. Washington outrebounded Philadelphia, 53-32. The win was the Wizards’ third straight overall and sixth in a row at home. They improved to 29-30 and pulled within 1 1/2 games of the Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers, who hold the final three playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. The Wizards played without Nene (rest), Alan Anderson (ankle) and Gary Neal (leg).
Ish Smith, who spent the preseason with the Wizards, paced the 76ers with 25 points and seven assists. Carl Landry added 15 points off the bench for the 76ers, who have lost all three meetings this season with the Wizards. The 76ers (8-52) didn’t have Jahlil Okafor, who was sidelined because of a shin contusion, and were officially eliminated from playoff contention with the loss. They’ve lost nine consecutive games and remain the front-runners to have the best chance to land the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.
The Wizards’ recent run of not facing top players from opposing teams since the all-star break continued Monday. A day after beating the Cleveland Cavaliers without LeBron James, they met the 76ers without Okafor, the rookie center who leads them in scoring. “You always appreciate a win, but it’s not the way we wanted to win,” said Wall, who had seven assists and three steals in 42 minutes. “So I feel like we took a step back.”
While Okafor is Philadelphia’s highest profile player — he was the third pick in June’s draft — statistics indicate that the 76ers have been better without him on the floor. Entering Monday’s game, Philadelphia was outscored by 16.6 points per 100 possessions in 1,591 minutes with him and by just 3.2 points in 1,261 minutes without him. The Wizards appeared to be in control when Markieff Morris made a turnaround jumper 19 seconds into the third quarter for a 14-point lead. Then it call came crashing down. Philadelphia rattled off 12 straight points and had a six-point lead as late as with 8 minutes 59 seconds remaining in the contest before the Wizards surged.
For whatever Okafor lacks on the defensive end, he does serve as the focal point of Philadelphia’s offense, and the 76ers appeared out of sync early without him. They shot just 36 percent from the floor, including 1 of 8 from three-point range, and air balled at least four field goal attempts.
[NBA Power Rankings: Can Wizards make another late-season run?][NBA Power Rankings: Can Wizards make another late-season run?]
Meanwhile, Otto Porter Jr., who made four three-pointers Sunday, made two three-pointers in the game’s first five minutes Monday and Wall tallied 12 points in the first quarter. Yet the Wizards were unable to pull away and led by only four by the end of the period. “You never apologize for a win,” said Wittman, whose team is 6-2 since the all-star break. “We’ve lost games like this. We’ve got to learn from it.”
That changed in the second quarter, when Bradley Beal and Ramon Sessions each tallied eight points to fuel a 33-point period that expanded Washington’s lead to 12 at the half. The Wizards quickly extended the gap to 14 on a Morris turnaround jumper 19 seconds into the third quarter before the staggering 76ers countered. Philadelphia scored 12 straight points and held a 74-68 lead by the time its run was over. Marcin Gortat played Wall’s sidekick in the fourth quarter with 13 points to complete a stat line of 18 points, a career-high 20 rebounds and five assists. He is the first Washington player to compile those numbers since Chris Webber in 1997. Morris posted 16 points, 13 rebounds and five assists in his first start as a Wizard.
Canaan’s three-pointer came during the middle of that run and put the 76ers up, 70-66. But Wittman’s timeout had the desired effect as Washington outscored outscored Philadelphia the rest of the way, 50-38. Gortat and Morris, who started at power forward over Jared Dudley, became the first Wizards pairing to record double-digit rebounds in a first half since Jahidi White and Popeye Jones in January 2002. Washington outrebounded Philadelphia, 53-32.
“It was super sweet,” Gortat said of starting alongside Morris, a teammate for two seasons with the Phoenix Suns.
Ish Smith, who spent the preseason with the Wizards, paced the 76ers with 25 points and seven assists. Carl Landry added 15 points off the bench for the 76ers, who have lost all three meetings this season with the Wizards.
Washington’s recent run of not facing top players from opposing teams since the all-star break continued. A day after beating the Cleveland Cavaliers without LeBron James, they met the 76ers without Okafor, the rookie center who leads them in scoring.
Although Okafor is Philadelphia’s highest-profile player — he was the third pick in June’s draft — statistics indicate that the 76ers have been better without him on the floor. Entering Monday’s game, Philadelphia was outscored by 16.6 points per 100 possessions in 1,591 minutes with him and by just 3.2 points in 1,261 minutes without him.
The trend continued Monday. After Washington built its 14-point lead, the 76ers, who have now lost 13 of their past 14 games, scored 12 straight points and held a 74-68 lead by the time their barrage was over.
Canaan’s three-pointer came during the spurt and pushed Philadelphia ahead, 70-66. But the staredown ignited Wall and the 76ers did not have a solution for the problem their shooting guard created.
“I told him don’t do that no more,” Wall said. “It made me mad. Seriously. It sparked me.”