PHILADELPHIA 76ers survived the 60-point explosion of Washington Wizards’ Bradley Beal for a 141-136 triumph in their 2020-2021 National Basketball Association (NBA) Season at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States on Wednesday night (Thursday in the Philippines).
Joel Embiid top-scored with 38 points, Seth Curry added 28 markers while Tobias Harris and Shake Milton contributed 19 markers apiece as the 76ers remained on top of the Eastern Conference with a 7-1 win-loss slate.
The 76ers were the dominant side since the opening quarter and led the game by as much as 21 points before the Wizards went on a huge rally behind Beal to come to within 106-116 after three quarters.
With Washington threatening in the fourth period, Embiid tossed in a fadeaway and made a free throw to give the 76ers a 131-127 lead. His second three-point play in 90 seconds made it 134-131. He then buried a three-pointer to seal Philadelphia’s win.
Beal built his 60-point output on seven triples while having seven rebounds and five assists. Russell Westbrook played with a dislocated finger on his right hand and scored 20 points for the Wizards (2-6).
Meanwhile, New York Knicks (5-3) rallied back from 18 points down to score a 112-100 triumph over Utah Jazz (4-4) at the Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, US.
Julius Randle anchored the streaking Knicks with 30 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists, Austin Rivers added 23 markers while Elfrid Payton contributed 22 points and eight assists.
Rookie Payton Pritchard had a perfect chance as he scored on a putback with two-tenths of a second left as the Boston Celtics (6-3) escaped with a 107-105 win over Miami Heat (3-4).
George Hill, meanwhile, converted two free throws with 12.1 seconds left as the Oklahoma City Thunder (3-4) dominated New Orleans Pelicans (4-4), 111-110.
In other results, Los Angeles Clippers halted Golden State Warriors’ winning run with a 108-101 win; Phoenix Suns walloped Toronto Raptors, 123-115; and Milwaukee Bucks tripped Detroit Piston, 130-115./PN
BOX SCORE:
PHILADELPHIA 141 – Embiid 38, Curry 28, Harris 19, Milton 19, Simmons 17, Green 15, Thybulle 2, Maxey 2, Howard 1, Ferguson 0.
WASHINGTON 136 – Beal 60, Westbrook 20, Bertans 17, Bryant 11, Smith 9, Hachimura 8, Lopez 5, Neto 5, Avdija 1, Robinson 0, Gill 0.
QUARTERSCORES:
Q1, 33-24; Q2, 82-67; Q3, 116-106; Q4, 141-136./PN
