Sixers Survive And Win Opener Against The Wizards

With no Philadelphia, or any sports fans present at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sixers won their opener as they beat the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night.

The Sixers avoided their first loss of the 2020-2021 season as they won the game by a narrow margin and a score of 113-107. After a dreadful third quarter, where the team shot a mere 5 for 22, it didn’t seem likely that the Sixers would reign victorious and yet, they came out on top.

Danny Green and Tobias Harris along with many others on the team struggled in their Sixers season debuts. Green, who formerly won three NBA titles with the Spurs, Raptors, and Lakers only scored two points across the entirety of Wednesday’s game. He shot 1-for-6 from the field and missed all four of his three-pointers. Green is entering his 12th season in the NBA.

In Harris’ case, he simply wasn’t making shots. He shot 3-for-13 from the field and finished with 10 points. Harris also had eight rebounds, two turnovers and no assists. Harris, 28 is entering his 10th season in the NBA.

Despite these negatives, the game had its upsides as players like Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons came to play. Embiid, 26 led the Sixers with 29 points and 14 rebounds. Simmons had nine rebounds and seven assists.

Before the season began, the Sixers hired Doc Rivers to replace Brett Brown as head coach. It seems as if Rivers will have his work cut out for him when it comes to making the Embiid-Simmons duo work. Both are All-Stars, and these two working productively together would give the team an early advantage in the season.

For Washington, Bradley Beal scored 31 points and Russell Westbrook had a 21-point triple-double. The Sixers will play their next game on Saturday night against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

Article by Mia Perlman