Joel Embiid dominates on both ends, Sixers cruise vs. Wizards

The Sixers cruised to a victory Sunday night, knocking off the Washington Wizards 112-93 for their fifth win a row.

Joel Embiid got off work early, putting up 34 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and four blocks in 31 minutes of action. James Harden gave the Sixers 18 points and 14 assists.

Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.

First Quarter

• It feels as if every opponent the Sixers have had over the past month or so has opened the game shooting 70 percent from the floor, putting the Sixers in an early hole. That wasn’t the case Sunday as the Wizards shot 40 percent to start the game. Philly was active in causing deflections early, forcing four early turnovers, but the Wizards missed plenty of point-blank layups.
• It was an eventful first for Embiid, who had 14 of the Sixers’ 27 points on 10 shots. A heavy dose of midrange jumpers put the Sixers in control early, as they held an eight-point lead after the opening quarter.

Second Quarter

• Jalen McDaniels left the game early in the second quarter after taking a hard foul to the hip. It was rough timing, as he was having a fairly productive stretch on offensive by slipping through the Wizards’ zone. McDaniels had six points and a rebound in a little over seven minutes of action, before missing the rest of the night with a right hip contusion.

• Washington finally started to get some offense, and it came off the bench in the form of Corey Kispert. Kispert was the Wizards’ leading scorer in the first half, putting up 14 points on 6 of 8 shooting.
• On top of Embiid, the Sixers also got a pretty solid first half from James Harden, who shot 4 of 6 for 10 points and dished seven assists. Still, something felt off as they opened the second quarter 3 of 12 from the field. They would go into the break with only a five-point lead.

Third Quarter

• Another completely dominant quarter for Embiid, who scored 14 points in the third. It was just one of those nights for him where not only was he scoring efficiently, it didn’t look particularly challenging either.

• While it may just be the Wizards, this was one of the Sixers’ best performances on the defensive end this season. Embiid of course led the way with four blocks, but his teammates did a good job of limiting Washington’s scoring options.
• Through three quarters, the trio of Bradley Beal, Kyle Kuzma, and Kristaps Porzingis combined to shoot 11 of 35, as the Sixers would take a 12-point lead into the fourth quarter.

Fourth Quarter

• Not only have the Sixers been ending fourth quarters well as of late, but the second unit plus Harden has really started fourth quarters strong. Tonight it was De’Anthony Melton who got hot to help stretch the Sixers’ lead over 20. Melton shot 3 of 5 from deep on the night.

• Of course, the biggest accomplishment was getting the lead to a large enough number that Joel Embiid didn’t have to come back into the game. Dewayne Dedmon even took the court for the first time as a Sixer this year in four minutes of garbage time.
• Sheesh, James

• The Sixers will hit the road again, as they head to Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. ET.