Wizards at 76ers final score: Beal’s 60 point night not enough in 141-136 loss

The Washington Wizards (2-6) lost to the Philadelphia 76ers (7-1) on Wednesday night. It’s good to see that the Wizards could hold their own against the best team in the Eastern Conference, but they are still one of the NBA’s worst teams based on record. And that’s what matters in the end.

What was the deciding factor for Washington in this game? It’s simply allowing the Sixers to shoot over 60 percent for the night. Give credit to the Wizards for getting a quick lead in the fourth quarter after losing by as many as 21 points during the third quarter.

Washington gave up 82 points in the first half, let Seth Curry look like his older brother Stephen when he shot 6-of-6 from the three point line and 20 points in those first 24 minutes. He ended up with 28 points overall. Joel Embiid scored 38 points to lead Philly.

Bradley Beal was a machine for the wizards. He scored 32 of his career-high 60 points in the first half to keep Washington nominally in it. He scored a career-high 57 points in just his first three quarters to keep the Wizards in the game 116-106 with one more period left to go.

Beal’s 60 points tied a Wizards franchise-record by Gilbert Arenas when he scored 60 points in an overtime win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 17, 2006.

Still, the Wizards lost. Sure, I guess we could call it a moral victory, but again, they are 2-6. We still need to still be firmly in panic mode about their performance. Furthermore, Russell Westbrook (20 points, 12 assists) injured his right hand in the closing seconds of the game and had to leave the floor. It’s early to say whether this is a stinger or something that lasts longer.

All that said, I wasn’t very interested in tonight’s game. Sorry that I’m going to disagree with the Wizards’ analysts on NBC Sports Washington, but I didn’t find this game entertaining. Why? It’s because I don’t think any NBA game should have been held tonight.

The events from earlier today in Washington should be a bigger priority in our minds because it will affect our lives in one way or another. You may not live in Washington, D.C. proper, but seeing rioters siege the U.S. Capitol, just a few blocks from Capital One Arena should give us cause to pause about our lives. Just saying.

The Wizards will continue their road trip on Friday when they play the Boston Celtics. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. ET.