76ers at Wizards
THE STORY: The Philadelphia 76ers are quietly asserting themselves as one of the best teams in the NBA. The 76ers took the first game of a home-and-home set against the Washington Wizards on Friday, 120-89, to bounce back from a rare loss. They boast the best scoring defense in the league. Philadelphia’s 31-point demolition of the hapless Wizards on Friday marked the sixth time in 11 games that it has won by 20 points or more. The 76ers are getting scoring from all over the court, with Jodie Meeks taking the lead on Friday with 26 points. Washington has just one victory so far and seems to be regressing from last season, when John Wall jumped onto the scene and the young squad started to show some promise. The Wizards host the back end of the home-and-home set on Saturday.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CSP (Philadelphia), CSW (Washington)
ABOUT THE 76ERS (8-3): Philadelphia has taken the early lead in the Atlantic Division by locking down on the defensive end, just as it did last season to reach the playoffs. The difference has been on the other end, where the 76ers have begun to score at a prolific rate. Only once - Wednesday’s 85-79 setback at New York - has Philadelphia failed to score at least 96 points. Meeks led seven scorers in double figures on Friday as the 76ers went off at 55 percent from the field, including 12 of 18 from beyond the arc.
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (1-10): At the other end of the spectrum is Washington, which had only one starter reach double figures in Friday’s contest. Wall managed just seven points on 3-of-8 shooting and committed five turnovers. The second-year stud is shooting just 34 percent from the floor and is averaging 3.8 turnovers. The one good thing about Friday’s blowout was that every body got plenty of rest. No starter played more than Wall’s 27 minutes.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Washington has beaten Philadelphia four straight times at the Verizon Center, including twice in overtime last season.
2. The 76ers scored 36 points off 18 Wizards turnovers on Friday.
3. Wall averaged 23.3 points and 11.3 assists in four games against Philadelphia last season.