Wizards’ Spell Fades, Top Pick Odds Rise

The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Washington Wizards 153-131 on Wednesday night, alongside a season high 39 points from Paul George, balancing Joel Embiid’s absence due to illness.

The loss marks Washington’s fourth straight and 20th in their last 21 games. Following Wednesday’s results, the Wizards now hold the worst record in the NBA after the Pacers grabbed a win on the same night.

At the end of the first quarter, Washington trailed slightly in fast break points (8-2) but remained relatively close in points in the paint (18-20). The Wizards committed nine personal fouls compared to Philadelphia’s two, while they also added three turnovers to the 76ers’ four.

Photo Creds: Jamece “Mecie” Hall

Although the Wizards put up a competitive first half, featuring five ties and four lead changes, the game completely shifted in the third quarter. The 76ers used a 24-4 run early in the period to weaken Washington’s opportunities.

Philadelphia scored 47 points in the third quarter, the second most Washington has allowed in any period this season.

Anthony Gill led Washington with a career-best 21 points, with 11 in the second quarter. Tristian Vukcevic added 10 points, while Tre Johnson scored 8 points in the third quarter.

Bub Carrington continued to build on his historic start to his career, scoring the first two points of the game.

Carrington has appeared in 157 consecutive games, the third-longest active streak in the NBA. He is one of five players in NBA history to record 700+ assists and 600+ rebounds before turning 21, and one of three players to amass 700+ assists and 250+ made three-pointers before the age of 21.

Photo Creds: Jamece “Mecie” Hall

I spoke to the 76ers head coach, Nick Nurse. I asked him what impresses him most about Bub Carrington’s growth as a young guard. He said, “Certainly fast, super athlete, keeps growing in his ability to score the ball. I think, um, you know, he’s got a pretty fearless approach on the floor, he’s gonna try to score, or he’s going to try to get in the paint, which he’s really good at. I think his ability to create offense is probably the biggest improvement he made, not only for himself but for his teammates. He seems to be in the paint a lot, making very good decisions to get the ball where it needs to go for offense.”

The Wizards entered the 2025-26 season with the second youngest roster in the NBA, behind Brooklyn, with an average age of 24 and eight players under the age of 22 — the most in the league.

The 76ers have now won 11 of their last 12 meetings with Washington, dating back to 2023. The Wizards had previously snapped a six-game winning streak against Philadelphia with a 119-114 win on March 26th, 2025.

Kelly Oubre Jr, who played four seasons in Washington from 2015-2018 after being selected 15th overall in the 2015 NBA draft, faced his former team.

The Wizards will seek new opportunities to grow this Saturday in Miami.

Photo Creds: Jamece “Mecie” Hall