James Harden, Tyrese Maxey Lay Out Key to Defeating Wizards

Last week, the Philadelphia 76ers double-dipped on matchups against the Toronto Raptors. After coming up short on the road last Wednesday, the Sixers got their revenge and defeated the Raptors on Friday to even the regular season series score 1-1.

This week, the Sixers will go back-to-back with the Washington Wizards. On Monday, the team closed out its four-game road trip in D.C. Without Joel Embiid on the floor due to a non-COVID illness, the Sixers found a way to snag themselves a victory. 

Without Embiid, the Sixers played through their backcourt standouts, Tyrese Maxey and James Harden. The latter player led the charge at the start of the game and accounted for half of his team’s points as the 76ers outscored the Wizards 30-28.

Maxey took over in the second quarter and helped the Sixers keep it close as he put up 11 points before the half. Going into the intermission, the Sixers and the Wizards were tied at 52. Philly’s head coach Doc Rivers stressed that the third quarter of Monday’s game against Washington would make or break the matchup for his time.

So, the Sixers came out firing in the second half. 

Philly’s third-quarter performance consisted of an impressive 18-2 run. As they outscored the Wizards 34-21, the Sixers found ideal separation as they led by as much as 16 points early on during the fourth quarter. After the game, Maxey highlighted the key to their big second-half run. 

“We were getting stops, and once we get stops, we got them running,” said Maxey. “Everybody kind of knew what our goal was when we got the ball. That’s been huge for us these last few games. We know what we’re looking for, we know how to attack, we know what position we need to be. That’s been big for us.”

From the beginning of the season, the Sixers continued to spread the message that their offense is only as good as their defensive success. If they are thriving on the defensive end, then succeeding on offense will come naturally.

“Defensively, we got stops,” Harden explained. “They’re a solid team. They do a really good job with their spacing. And they have Porzingis, who can shoot the three really well. They do a really good job, so we had to find more ways to be aggressive defensively. Execute our switching, and when the shot goes up, we can rebound, and that helps our offense.”

In order for the Sixers to succeed in their rematch against the Wizards, they’ll have to remain focused on getting defensive stops, as it helped them go on a big run in Monday’s matchup. While the Sixers have found success in their last three outings, as they’ve defeated the Raptors, Bulls, and Wizards, they need to continue practicing what they preach.

“I feel like every team preaches, ‘If we get stops, and we get out there and score, it betters our chances.’ We really feel that way,” Harden finished. “Once we get on the same page and make that more of a consistent habit, our defense is gonna be a problem.”