The Washington Wizards allowed a season-high 153 points in Wednesday night's loss against the Philadelphia 76ers
A return to Capital One Arena wouldn't end up making a difference for the Washington Wizards after dropping their fourth consecutive loss, falling 153-131 to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night.
The 153 points allowed marks a new season high for Washington.
And in the widely anticipated tank watch, the loss has clinched a bottom five record for the Wizards with a 99.4% chance of staying inside the top eight, meaning general manager Will Dawkins will be able to keep the coveted protected pick.
Anthony Gill led the way with 21 points on 8-of-9 shooting while adding both six rebounds and six assists. Tristan Vukcevic and Justin Champagnie each added 17 points while Will Riley added 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field. Bub Carrington also finished with 13 points and seven rebounds in 31 minutes. The Wizards got good news ahead of tipoff with bob Tre Johnson and Bilal Coulibaly available as they combined for 20 points in the loss.
But Washington couldn't contain Philadelphia's stars after Paul George, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe combined for 90 points while shooting 64.9% from the field.
Tristan Vukcevic would once again be the first half spark with 15 points in nine minutes after shooting a perfect 3-for-3 from deep. His third three point made sparked a 9-0 run for the Wizards despite picking up his third foul that sent him to the bench, a run that gave the Wizards a brief three point lead before the 76ers called a timeout midway through the second quarter.
Washington would push their slight lead to 58-50 before Tyrese Maxey took over to trim the deficit only for Paul George to heat up in the closing minutes of the first half, helping the Sixers take a two point lead into halftime.
Will Riley would provide an early second half highlight with a poster dunk over Adem Bona, cutting the Wizards deficit to 80-79, but it would also prove to be a turning point - for the Sixers.
Philadelphia, scoring 47 points in the third quarter responded with a 24-4 run over the ensuing 4:06 to blow the game open, forcing head coach Brian Keefe to call timeout. It didn't matter much as the Sixers were already up to 120 points through three quarters with the Wizards simply looking to keep it within a 20 point deficit.
Washington will hit the road again for its final road trip of the regular season when they take on the Miami Heat on Saturday, April 4 with tipoff set for 3 PM.