NBA: Washington Wizards vs. Philadelphia 76ers Game 5 Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Washington Wizards fought back in Game 4 of their series against the Philadelphia 76ers, winning their first clash. Many believe that the franchise from DC won’t be able to do anything more than that, but it is still a big deal for the Wizards’ fans who wanted to see some fire coming from their favorites. However, we need to remind you that Joel Embiid left the match because of a sore knee following one nasty fall and that if he doesn’t play over the next few days, this series just might become much more interesting.

Preview

Washington Wizards (TBA) finally felt the taste of victory in these playoffs, the first since 2018. They beat the 76ers 122-114 because of their excellent performance in the third period once they outscored the rivals 32-19. It proved to be the decisive stretch of this match.

Russell Westbrook had another triple-double night, with 19 points, 21 boards, and 14 assists, but with an awful shooting from the field, where he made just three of his 19 attempts. He scored the majority of his points from the free-throw line, 13-for-16.

Bradley Beal had 27 points, a team-high, and he also shot poorly, 9-for-23. The X-factor in Monday’s game was Rui Hachimura, with 20 points and 13 boards. The Japanese made the difference in some situations. Robin Lopez scored 16 off the bench, while Davis Bertans finally woke up, delivering 15 buckets.

Philadelphia 76ers (TBA) lost Embiid, and that changes the whole situation for Doc Rivers and his crew. The Process is along with Simmons a key figure in Philly’s game, and these two guys are pretty much worthless without another in this system of play.

The degree of his injury is still not known, but according to the sources from within the team, his appearance in Game 5 is unlikely.

This is the moment when Tobias Harris needs to step up as well as Seth Curry. Harris will have to be more aggressive on both sides, while Curry needs to drop at least 20 points to cover up some of Embiid’s productivity. We will see how veteran center Dwight Howard reacts because he also needs to step up. By the way, he had just one point in Game 4.

Head to Head Games

This was the first win of the Wizards against the 76ers since December 2019, and eight consecutive losses. The team from the City of Brotherhood Love missed a chance on Monday to post a first playoff sweep in 36 years.

Prediction

If the 76ers players didn’t have a shock because of Embiid’s injury, we are more than sure that they would secure a win in DC. It appears that the news during the halftime break disturbed Simmons and the rest of the locker room, which caused them to fall mentally in the third period.

The situation will be different in this event because Philly’s players had time to adjust to the current circumstances. Even without Embiid, they are better than Washington, especially when playing at Wells Fargo Center. That is why we go with the 76ers’ win here.