3 biggest takeaways for Sixers following important win over Wizards
· Yahoo Sports
WASHINGTON -- The Philadelphia 76ers handled their business on Wednesday with a 153-131 win over the Washington Wizards. It was an important win as they finished their 3-game road trip with a 2-1 record and they were able to pick up an important win over an inferior opponent which they need to do in the playoff race.
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Paul George made it look easy as he had 39 points, six assists, and five rebounds for Philadelphia while Tyrese Maxey had 28 points and eight assists. VJ Edgecombe had 23 points and 10 assists while Quentin Grimes and Kelly Oubre Jr. added 12 points each off the bench.
Here are the three biggest takeaways for the Sixers following the win:
George makes a statement
Yes, one will make the case that it is just the bumbling Wizards, but George was able to make it look easy in this one. He went to work early as he used his size and strength to be able to find a groove and a rhythm and it just continued throughout the night. One could argue this was the best he’s looked in his entire tenure with the Sixers and it’s a performance he has to build on for the future. He is going to be a big factor in whatever Philadelphia does down the stretch.
"I mean, obviously, I think he showed really good leadership by coming out and being aggressive and getting us going at the start," coach Nick Nurse stated. "I think really the start of both halves, he was just really, really good. It was great to see. I think variety, too. He got some drives, got some transition 3s, got some one-on-one plays, variety of different places on the floor, but it's great. Great job by him to get us jump-started in both halves."
Efficient offense
Again, sure, just the Wizards, but the offense in this one flowed at such an efficient rate. They shot the ball at 61.6% from the floor and they knocked down 17 triples while dishing out 37 assists on 61 field goals. The ball was moving, they were playing fast, they got into the paint, and they made the most of their opportunities. After scoring 157 points against the Chicago Bulls on March 25, the offense was able to have a ton of success again in this one. These are all encouraging signs for Philadelphia.
"I think one of the game plan things was to really attack the rim, and I think we did that really consistently, and you figure, once you start doing that, you're going to kind of work it from inside out, right?" Nurse explained. "And I think that that helped. I think there was some good ball movement. A ton of assists there, right? 37. So, again, good ball find and moving and finding. I know it looked like it was a lot of one-on-one stuff, which there was some, but when you have 37 assists, that shows you that the ball was moving pretty good."
Barlow doing the little things
Dominick Barlow’s stat line wasn’t impressive. He had six points, three rebounds, and two assists, but he was a plus-34 in only 24 minutes. He was terrific in terms of getting his teammates open with screens, being in the right spots on the defensive end, and properly spacing the floor. He scored when the opportunity was there for him, but Barlow just continues to find a way to be a hugely positive player for Philadelphia even when he isn’t putting up any big numbers. He is the type of player who makes a difference in a playoff series.
"Super impactful," said Nurse. "I think that, again, just tremendous effort at all times. Just doesn't really make many mistakes. He made one early. That's the first one I can remember he's made. We got back cut out of the corner the first three minutes of the game, and then after that, you just don't see him blowing too many switches. You don't see him missing block outs. He's really reliable with the ball. He either gets it to the front of the rim or they collapsed on him and kicked it out for a great 3 for VJ. Just hard play and high IQ."
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: 3 biggest takeaways for Sixers following important win over Wizards