The Washington Wizards had to rest rookie Bradley Beal Wednesday in a 92-84 road loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Beal is day-to-day with a sore right wrist. Former Wizards shooting guard Nick Young scored 18 points for the Sixers in his third straight start (sixth overall), as Washington's backcourt struggled to keep up.
Sixers point guard Jrue Holiday scored 9 of his game-high 21 in the fourth quarter. The Wizards cut a 15-point deficit to 5 with 1:41 left to play but couldn't stop Holiday down the stretch. Reserve big Lavoy Allen scored 8 of his 14 points in the pivotal second quarter, in which Philadelphia out scored Washington 23-11. The Wizards never led in the second half.
After a questionable coaching decision which may have cost Washington a win Monday at home, Wizards Head Coach Randy Wittman decided to green light Garrett Temple as a starter. While Sixers starters Young and Holiday combined for 39 points, Washington's starting backcourt of John Wall and Temple combined for only 11. Reserve shooting guard Jordan Crawford did very little to help his stock, with 3 points off 1-for-5 from the field shooting.
Nene led Washington in defeat with 16 points and 8 rebounds, while Emeka Okafor had another monster night with 15 points and 17 rebounds. If you play Fantasy, be sure to look around for Young or Okafor. Odds are they're swept up by now, but they're playing quite well.
Beal, who is day-to-day with a sore right wrist, hasn't been playing that well as of late. He has scored an average of only 8 points in his last five starts. The good news for Wizards fans is Beal will be eligible for the 2013 BBVA Rising Stars Challenge. Wall presented the "Challenge" in 2012, with 17 points, 8 assists, and 2 blocks as sixth man for "Team Chuck." Unfortunately, they're sticking with the same rookie-sophomore pool concept they implemented in 2012. We may never see the rookies battle the sophomores again.
Washington will try to get back on track Friday in a road game against the Memphis Grizzlies (8:00 p.m. ET, CSN). The Wizards are 11-33 (.250) and need to win 29 of their last 38 games (0.763) to hit 40 wins. In other words, don't be surprised if Beal continues to rest his wrist.
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