The word came down at 8:26 p.m., just before the start of the third quarter. That’s when the Philadelphia 76ers announced that All-Star center Joel Embiid would not return with right knee soreness when the Wizards’ playoff hopes came back to life.
No team would, or should, ever hope for an injury, but this was the Wizards’ chance: Take advantage of Embiid‘s first-quarter exit or go home.
They pounced. The Wizards rallied in Embiid’s absence, forcing a Game 5 with a 122-114 win at Capital One Arena. Washington now trails the best-of-seven series 3-1, but the victory shifts the round back to Philadelphia on Wednesday.
Washington took a big lead in the third quarter, only to have to hold on in the fourth. But the Wizards survived thanks to a controversial strategy: They intentionally fouled 76ers star Ben Simmons and dared him to beat them from the free-throw line.
Simmons, a 59.7% career free-throw shooter who was 0-of-9 through the first three games, couldn’t make Washington pay. Over the final three minutes, with the game initially tied, Simmons went 4-of-8 from the charity stripe.
Hack-A-Simmons worked.
“I thought we did a good job of boxing out,” coach Scott Brooks said. “That’s always an issue with us at the free-throw line. If you miss them, we can’t let them get the rebound. That was some big plays. … This is a big game for us, we didn’t want to go down in four games.”
The Wizards capitalized on the poor shooting. Rui Hachimura sealed the game down the stretch with a dagger 3-pointer in the final minute. The shot was part of a terrific second-half surge for the Japanese native: He scored 13 of his 20 points after halftime.
Beyond Hachimura, Bradley Beal led the Wizards with 27 points, while Russell Westbrook had 19. Both struggled to shoot the ball — they went a combined 12 for 42 — but also made impact plays when they mattered. Westbrook notched a triple-double (21 rebounds, 14 assists). Beal assisted on Hachimura’s dagger.
The Wizards played with the desperation that comes with being a game away from elimination. In response, they held the 76ers to just 41.7% shooting and 31.6% from deep.
“We played with more spunk,” Beal said. “There’s a little bit more attitude, some excitement. It just felt like we enjoyed being out there on the floor. We enjoyed playing defense. We enjoyed getting out and running in transition. These are what makes us really good. … We just got back to playing Wizards basketball in the way we know how.”
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It was ironic that an in-game adjustment helped secure Game 4. Entering Monday’s contest, the Wizards had seemingly made every possible tweak and they still didn’t matter. Even others in the victory — like starting Daniel Gafford over Alex Len — had mixed results.
Gafford got into early trouble and that put Washington in an early hole, the exact scenario that made Brooks hesitant to start the 22-year-old center until now. The 76ers jumped out to a 16-5 lead, and making matters worse for Washington, Len also picked up two fouls in the span of a minute.
The Wizards, though, stayed composed. And the game began to change thanks to an unlikely pair of contributors. With Beal and Westbrook struggling to shoot, Davis Bertans and Robin Lopez lifted Washington’s offense — sparking a run that got the Wizards back into the game. Bertans had 12 points at the end of the first, more points than he had in Games 2 and 3 combined.
Monday’s contest truly shifted, however, when Embiid got hurt. The MVP candidate crashed to the ground after colliding with Lopez, landing on his back. Minutes later, with less than a minute left in the first quarter, Embiid limped to the locker room, trainer by his side.
The 76ers waited to give an update on Embiid’s status, but Washington didn’t waste time in erasing the deficit. Lopez dominated the middle, effortlessly making hook shot after hook shot. The Wizards cracked down on defense, even shutting down forward Tobias Harris (21 points on 8 of 24 shooting).
Washington finally tied it with a thunderous putback dunk from Westbrook, his first basket of the night. Not long after, Hachimura gave Washington its first lead of the game, 60-58 — topping off the fast break with a jam with 42.4 seconds left in the half.
Hachimura’s dunk caused the crowd to erupt — arguably the loudest they had been all season — but the fans were quieted moments later when 76ers guard Danny Green hit an off-balance 3-pointer at the buzzer with tenths of a second left to give Philadelphia a 62-61 lead into the locker room.
The third was Washington’s best quarter of the series, a hectic quarter that saw a temporary stoppage because a fan rushed on to the court and was tackled by security.
Still, the Wizards led by as many as 14. They did it even without Bertans, who was announced out with a right calf strain. Washington raced up and down the floor, making plays on both ends. Gafford had three of his five blocks. Hachimura splashed an open 3-pointer and even drew a technical foul for taunting Harris after a ferocious slam.
Hachimura laughed about the technical afterward. The normally mild-mannered forward easily could, knowing the Wizards would get to play another game.
“I got my first tech,” Hachimura said with a smile. “I never thought I’d get a technical in my career.”
