Sixers hoping to return to form after surprising loss to Washington Wizards: ‘We just didn’t have it’

WASHINGTON — Tobias Harris didn’t mince words Tuesday night.

Harris and his 76ers teammates had suffered a 116-111 setback to the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena in a game they had no business losing.

“That’s on us on the defensive end and how to start a game,” he said, “and how to know each and every game in the NBA, it’s hard to win. And you respect and honor every opponent.”

The loss to the 14-21 Wizards was a reminder of what’s needed to win in the NBA.

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The Sixers (20-13) took an eight-game winning streak into the contest, thanks in large part to the tandem of Joel Embiid and James Harden and solid defense.

For the most part, Harden and Embiid played to their elite levels.

Harden, an All-NBA guard, collected 26 points, a game-high 13 assists, three steals and a block. Embiid finished with a game-high of 48 points along with 10 rebounds, three steals and a team-high three blocks.

However, the All-NBA center struggled mightily down the stretch. The Sixers also had defensive shortcomings, especially in the first half as the Wizards shot 55.8%. Philly went on to trail by as many as 16 points in the third quarter.

“Obviously, we had really good games with good flow,” Harris said. “But we also have to know that we have a consistent play each and every night of what we can hang our hats on and know what worked for it.”

While the Sixers harped on respecting every opponent, could Tuesday’s outcome have been the result of overlooking the Wizards?

Washington had lost 11 of 12 games before beating the Sacramento Kings on Friday night. Meanwhile, the Sixers capped their winning streak with solid victories over the Los Angeles Clippers and New York Knicks.

On paper, Tuesday’s matchup was supposed to be nothing more than a breather before the Sixers face the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night at the Smoothie King Center.

“No. You can’t. Well, I don’t know,” Embiid said of overlooking the Wizards. “I don’t think I did, and I don’t think my teammates did, either. It’s the NBA. You can lose on any given night. That’s a good team. They have a lot of great players in [Bradley Beal, Kristaps Porzingis, and Kyle Kuzma]. ... They’re better than what their record says.”

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But that’s not an excuse to lose to the Wizards, Embiid added.

“We just didn’t have it tonight,” he said.

Now, the Sixers will have two days to find their defensive mojo before facing the Pelicans (21-12), who take the Western Conference’s second-best record into Wednesday night’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.