Wizards stop 76ers, run home win streak to 11
WASHINGTON -- John Wall scored 25 points and Bradley Beal had 20 as the Washington Wizards defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 109-93 on Saturday night for their 11th straight home win.
Marcin Gortat had 12 points and 10 rebounds as five starters scored in double figures for the Wizards (20-19), who overcame their penchant for slow starts.
Washington trailed by 13 points in the second quarter despite Philadelphia (12-26) playing without star rookie Joel Embiid. Yet Washington entered halftime tied 56-56 and then outscored Philadelphia 30-15 in the third quarter before leading by 25 in the fourth.
Philadelphia had won three straight games for the first time since a four-game win streak during the 2013-14 season.
Jahlil Okafor scored 26 points and Ersan Ilyasova had 18, but all in the first half, for the 76ers.
Embiid was rested for the second game of a back-to-back.
The Wizards have won four of five. The home streak matched Washington's longest since the 1965-66 season.
Injuries to his right pinky and left wrist hampered Wall in Wednesday's 117-108 loss at the Boston Celtics. The point guard was 4 of 21 from the field and wasn't certain to play in the rematch against Philadelphia.
Instead, Wall played and finished with seven rebounds and seven assists while hitting 9 of 17 shots from the field, including 3 of 4 from beyond the arc.
Wall and Beal combined for 21 points in the second quarter and the three-time All-Star's layup started a 7-0 run opening the second half. He later sank three straight 3-pointers in third quarter.
Washington led 86-71 entering the fourth quarter before the reserves pushed the lead to 99-75.
Okafor, who started for Embiid after not playing the previous four games due to coach Brett Brown's decision, and Ilyasova dominated offensively in the first half. They scored 34 points on 13-of-18 shooting from the floor with Ilyasova's putting the crisp 76ers up 43-30.
Philadelphia shot 50 percent from the field.
The offense went stale from there. The 76ers finished at 41.4 percent overall.
Philadelphia defeated Washington 109-102 at home on Nov. 16. Embiid and Beal also sat out that game.
Otto Porter scored 10 points for Washington but left in the second half with a right hip strain.
NOTES: Wizards G John Wall was fined $15,000 by the NBA for his role in a postgame skirmish on Wednesday in Boston. Celtics F Jae Crowder, the other primary participant, was fined $25,000. ... 76ers C Jahlil Okafor started in order to allow big man Nerlens Noel to remain in his regular rotation spot off the bench, coach Brett Brown said. Okafor scored 19 points in 20 minutes against Washington in the previous meeting, which C Joel Embiid also missed. ... Wizards G Tomas Satoransky (illness) was available after missing the previous two games. ... Washington plays host to the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday with a special afternoon tip on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. The same afternoon, Philadelphia plays at the Milwaukee Bucks.