This is a sign of a very good team, and the Sixers are looking like just that

Beating the teams they are supposed to beat is a good sign for the 76ers.

Those victories aren’t always blowouts or perfect games. Yet, as the better team, the Sixers keep finding ways to win.

That in itself is a sign of a very good team.

The Sixers defeated the struggling Washington Wizards, 146-101, at the Wells Fargo Center to improve to 15-7. Joel Embiid finished with 34 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and two blocks in the team’s second meeting in six days. On this night, every player scored, while nine Sixers hit a three. And their 45-point win was their largest margin of victory ever over the Washington franchise.

So this game was definitely better than their recent showings against struggling teams.

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Embiid had to finish with 50 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists for the Sixers to beat the Wizards, 131-126, Wednesday night at Capital One Arena.

Then on Friday, against a struggling Atlanta Hawks team without two-time All-Star Trae Young, they needed a 15-0 late run to prevail, 125-114, at The Center.

No one can deny the Sixers were lucky to beat Washington (3-19) and Atlanta (9-11) on those night.

While the Sixers won’t admit it, it’s reasonable to wonder if they took the Wizards and Hawks lightly.

If that’s not the case, the close outcomes could be the result of teams starting to figure the Sixers out. But that’s going to be an ongoing thing that will require adjustment by the Sixers.

Yet, they are 9-0 against teams that currently have a losing record. That doesn’t include victories over the Phoenix Suns and Brooklyn Nets. The Suns (12-10) dropped to 2-4 after losing, 112-100, to the Sixers without All-Stars Devin Booker and Bradley Beal on Nov. 4. Meanwhile, the Nets (12-9) were 6-7 following a 121-99 home loss to Philly on Nov. 19.

Back then, the Sixers were the unquestioned superior team and disposed of Phoenix and Brooklyn.

Embiid played after being listed as questionable with a sore left knee for Monday’s third meeting against the Wizards. Washington didn’t have a chance to win on paper. But the Wizards could have been a dangerous team, despite having lost 13 of 14 games, due to being capable of competing on certain nights.

» READ MORE: Sixers vs. Wizards takeaways: Joel Embiid’s bully ball; De’Anthony Melton on equal level with Tobias Harris

Kyle Kuzma (22.9 points per game) and Jordan Poole (17.0) can score and Corey Kispert is a 37.7% shooter from three-point range.

Kuzma finished with team highs of 21 points and nine rebounds. Poole had 11 points while struggling through 3-of-11 shooting. He had three turnovers and was a minus-30. And Kispert had nine points on 3-for-6 shooting, including going 1-of-3 on three-pointers.

However, it was expected to be a tough night for the Wizards with center Daniel Gafford out with a bruised hip. Embiid averaged 49 points in two games against Washington with Gafford playing. Without him, Embiid was expected to score more against Mike Muscala and Danilo Gallinari.

The Sixers scored the game’s first 14 points and led by as many as 48 points. That was a great victory for a squad that remains on the right path.

That doesn’t mean they’re favorites to win the title or reach the NBA Finals. The realistic goal for this season is to reach the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2001. If they don’t do that, this season will be a major disappointment.

Even if they did lose on Monday, it would be nothing to panic about.

» READ MORE: Who was harder to play with, James Harden or Ben Simmons? Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid weigh in.

The only thing that would cause panic is if losses to inferior teams suddenly became a pattern.

“I think, honestly, I’m going to be real. A lot of that [stuff] is because this guy right here,” Marcus Morris Sr. said of Embiid not allowing the Sixers to slip up. “He’s setting the table that he’s serious. When your best player comes out with that type of passion, that trip of seriousness, it kind of trickles down to other players.

”And I’ve been on a lot of good teams. That’s one of the things that you can get lost at like walking through the games, playing with the game. And our best player does a great job of not doing that.”

Coach Nick Nurse is still trying to figure out his rotation. Kelly Oubre Jr. returned from a fractured rib two games ago. The Sixers also acquired four players from the Los Angeles Clippers on Nov. 1 in the James Harden trade. All this is tough on a coach, because you want to play everyone. You want to try to give everyone an opportunity, but you only have so many minutes to give out.

So Nurse is trying to settle on the best rotation, and he’s also figuring out matchups.

Even though that can be tough, it’s still early in the season.

But a good sign is their ability to win the games they’re expected to win.