Bradley Beal went 20 of 25 from the floor, made 7 of 10 3-pointers and went 13 of 15 from the line to match Gilbert Arenas's franchise single-game points record.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid scored 38 points and the NBA-leading Philadelphia 76ers overcame a Washington record-tying 60-point performance by Bradley Beal in a 141-136 win over the Wizards on Wednesday night.
The Sixers are an NBA-best 7-1 in coach Doc Rivers’s first season in Philadelphia.
Beal was stuffed on a layup and missed a 3-pointer inside the final minute, nearly coming up short of joining Golden State’s Steph Curry as 60-point scorers this season.
Beal, who once scored 53 and 55 points in consecutive games, sank a free throw with 4.4 seconds left to hit the mark. He went 20 of 25 from the floor, made 7 of 10 3-points and went 13 of 15 from the line to match former Wizard Gilbert Arenas for the franchise single-game mark.
Beal was sensational from the start, going 11 of 16 (four 3-pointers) from the floor in the first half for 32 points and joined Michael Jordan (34 points in 2001) and Arenas (33 points in 2006 and 30 in 2007) as Wizards to score 30 in half over the last 20 years.
He hit seven 3s and reached 57 points through three quarters, and that should have been enough to give the Wizards the lead. But Washington’s defense was atrocious in the first half. They gave up 82 points and trailed by as many as 21 points, Beal outscoring the rest of the Wizards.
Embiid again dominated after a rare slow start and continued his torrid early season run. He missed all six shots in the first quarter and scored one point. He then scored 14 in the second and helped the Sixers roll to a 19-point lead.
Embiid tossed in a fadeaway and made the free throw to give the Sixers a 131-127 lead. His second three-point play in 90 seconds made it 134-131. He then buried a 3 to seal Philadelphia’s fifth straight win.
Seth Curry hit six straight 3-pointers in the first half and finished with 28 points. Ben Simmons had 17 points and 12 assists. Tobias Harris scored 19.
Russell Westbrook scored 20 points for the Wizards.
TIP-INS
76ers: The Sixers haven’t lost at home since Dec. 20, 2019. ... Harris reached the 10,000 career-point mark.
Wizards: Coach Scott Brooks said it was “disgusting” to watch the mob storm the Capitol. “We should be better than this,” he said.
UP NEXT
76ers: Play Thursday at Brooklyn. The Nets will again play without Kevin Durant (quarantining).
Wizards: Brooks said there were no plans for the team to return to Washington before Friday’s game at Boston.
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