The Wizards have returned for another early-season matchup against the Sixers after falling in Philadelphia on opening night.
Furkan Korkmaz (left adductor strain) and Mike Scott (left knee contusion) are still out for the Sixers, who have been using a nine-man rotation in their absences.
Here are the essentials for Wednesday night’s game:
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- When: 7 p.m. with Sixers Pregame Live at 6:15 p.m.
- Where: Wells Fargo Center
- Broadcast: NBC Sports Philadelphia
- Live stream: NBCSportsPhiladelphia.com and the MyTeams app
And here are three storylines to watch:
‘We’re very lucky that he fell to us’
Tyrese Maxey was one of several bright spots in the Sixers’ mini-series sweep of the Hornets, making his first three NBA three-pointers and scoring a rookie-high 11 points Monday night.
NBA
Head coach Doc Rivers is very encouraged by what he’s seen from the Kentucky product.
“You know, there’s this narrative out there that the reason he went down in the draft is because people didn’t think he could shoot,” Rivers said. “I haven’t seen a lick of that. I think he’s an excellent shooter, and he’ll just keep getting better. Once he’s ready and takes the shot, he’s good. He has great speed. He’s going to be a terrific player for us. We’re very lucky that he fell to us.”
One impressive stat for Maxey, albeit in a small sample size: He has only five turnovers in 109 NBA minutes. The 21st pick has thus far avoided mistakes while continually seeking a path to the rim.
A defensive challenge
As was the case last season, Washington has mostly had an effective offense and a porous defense through seven games. The Wizards are currently 10th in offensive rating and 22nd in defensive rating, per Cleaning the Glass. They’ve won two consecutive games after losing their first five, scoring 130 and 123 points in victories over the Timberwolves and Nets, respectively.
Nothing dramatic has changed for Washington since these two teams met on opening night, although center Thomas Bryant has been ultra-efficient. Bryant has shot a combined 26 for 30 (86.7 percent) over his last three games, including 5 for 6 from three-point range.
This isn’t a new test for the Sixers’ No. 1-rated defense, which should understand the games of Russell Westbrook, Bradley Beal and Davis Bertans well, but it’s still a decent challenge.
Busy stretch begins
With the lone exception of their loss to the Cavaliers without Joel Embiid, the Sixers have won every game they’ve been expected to win.
As they commence a stretch of eight games in 12 days that includes three back-to-backs, they won’t want that trend to end Wednesday night. No Sixers opponent over the next two weeks has gotten off to a great start, but the Nets, Nuggets, Hawks and Heat all have offensive firepower, recent playoff success or some combination of the two.
The Sixers will be tied for first place in the Eastern Conference at worst heading into Thursday night’s game in Brooklyn, but they’d obviously love to be 7-1 and still sharp on both ends of the floor.
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