Sixers-Wizards best/worst: Mounting turnovers by Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons; Davis Bertans’ first-half explosion
Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons combined to commit 15 of the Sixers' 21 turnovers.
![Sixers center Joel Embiid (21) loses the ball after he was fouled by Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) during the first half.](https://www.inquirer.com/resizer/yvhfhBg5IgreccQw4YBbsmPoMcc=/760x507/smart/filters:format(webp)/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-pmn.s3.amazonaws.com/public/IDV5ZQW35BAUTJ2J3QTUZBBM7Y.jpg)
WASHINGTON — Here is my look at the best and worst performances from the 76ers’ 119-113 loss to the Washington Wizards on Thursday night at the Capital One Arena.
Best performance: This was a tough one, because Tobias Harris scored a game-high 33 points in a losing effort and Rui Hachimura paced the Wizards with 27. But I had to give this to Washington reserve power forward Davis Bertans for his career night. He finished with 25 points and hit a career-high 7 three-pointers in 13 attempts. Twenty-two of his points came on 8-for-8 shooting — including 6-for-6 on three-pointers.
Worst performance: This was another tough one, but I had to give to James Ennis III. The Sixers reserve finished with two points and graded out at a game-worst minus-14. The reserve guard didn’t attempt a shot after averaging 12.3 points in the previous three games. He also had five fouls and zero rebounds.
Best defensive performance: I gave this to Matisse Thybulle for stopping the bleeding when it came to defending Bertans. The Wizard scored only three points on 1-for-8 shooting in the second half. That’s when Thybulle became the primary defender. The Sixers rookie also had a game-high two blocks and two steals to go with five points.
Worst statistic: This goes to Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid for combining to commit 15 of the Sixers’ 21 turnovers. Embiid had eight, one more than Simmons.
Best statistic: This goes to Bertans’ shooting 8-for-8 in the first half, making six three-pointers.
Worst of the worst: I had to give this to Al Horford getting only one shot in the fourth quarter. The Sixers power forward made 3 of 5 three-pointers and finished with 11 points. However, he had more personal fouls (two) than shot attempts (one) while being held scoreless in 6 minutes, 29 seconds of action in the final quarter.