Despite a valiant effort from the Washington Wizards and the referees, the 76ers were able to take game one by a final score of 125-118. Tobias Harris dominated on offense leading the Sixers with 37 points, 28 of which came in the first half when their offense struggled immensely. Philly could not catch a break the entire game, being called for numerous soft fouls and several missed calls on Washington. Joel Embiid drew three cheap fouls early and was only able to play ten minutes in the first half.

It took the 76ers some time to find their shot from deep, at one point being just 1/10 from deep. To finish the night, they shot 41% on their subsequent 22 three-point attempts. Seth Curry and Danny Green led the 76ers from the arc, shooting a combined 6/13. Green was fantastic on both ends of the court, grabbing two steals and helping slow down Russell Westbrook on offense. 

Ben Simmons didn’t have the best night scoring but made sure to bring the energy in all other aspects of his game. He came close to a triple-double having 15 rebounds and 15 assists but only had six points. Ben was atrocious from the line, missing all six attempts which he will need to clean up going forward. There is no stopping Bradley Beal, but Simmons did everything he could to slow down the Wizards guard who had a team-high 33 points for Washington. 

For the rest of the Sixers, Joel Embiid was unstoppable on offense when the refs let him play, having 30 points in 30 minutes. George Hill led the bench with 11 points, and Matisse Thybulle was electric on defense with two blocks and two steals. The 76ers now hold a 1-0 lead on the Wizards and enjoy a nice two day break before returning to Wells Fargo for game two on Wednesday night at 7:00. 

Mandatory Credit: AP Photo Matt Slocum