May 26, 2021
Game 1 may not have been as easy as some fans were hoping (and expecting) it would be, but the important thing is that the Sixers came away with a win and a 1-0 series lead over the eighth-seeded Wizards.
For the top-seeded Sixers, a single-digit win that was too close for comfort deep into the fourth quarter was perhaps not all that surprising considering the team was coming off a week layoff and MVP finalist Joel Embiid found himself in foul trouble right from the jump, as did a pair of fellow Sixers starters. That changed the entire game, but thanks to strong play from Tobias Harris, Philly was able to stay with Bradley Beal, Russell Westbrook and the Wizards. And when it came time to close out the game, Embiid was right where he was supposed to be, scoring buckets, grabbing rebounds and finding his way to the free throw line.
Still, the Sixers will hope to do more than simply escape with a win when they take the court for Game 2 on Wednesday night. And there are several areas in which they can approve, from their transition defense to Simmons' free throw shooting and the list goes on.
Will they rise to the occasion in Game 2 and send the series back to Washington with an emphatic 2-0 lead? Or will it again be closer than comfort, perhaps giving the Wizards some hope and, as a result, some momentum? Or, will they do the unthinkable and drop a home game, giving Washington homecourt advantage heading back to the nation's capital?
We'll find out when the game tips off at 7 p.m. on NBA TV and NBC Sports Philadelphia. But right now, the sportsbooks are predicting a relatively easy win for the home team, as all five books listed on Pickswise currently have the Sixers as eight-point favorites. For those keeping track at home, that's only one point better than their final margin of victory in Game 1, so Sixers fans might be sweating it out again.
No matter how it plays out, we'll have you covered throughout the night, from our live tracker below to Kyle Neubeck's instant observations immediately following the final buzzer.
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