WASHINGTON -- Before the game, Brett Brown spoke about one of the most important – if not the most important – aspects of building a team: defense.
Well, that wasn’t exactly the highlight of the Sixers' performance against the Wizards.
In fact, it was a glaring area of trouble in their 100-79 loss Thursday night at the Verizon Center (see Instant Replay).
“I personally see the game clearer through defense,” Brown said prior to tipoff. “The accountability end of it is my background. There is a freedom that you want to give our guys on offense that they don’t have on defense.
“From day one, that is the mission. We have to become a defensive team first, in the city of Philadelphia especially.”
The Sixers fell into a 10-point deficit with 3:31 to go in the first quarter. The Wizards outshot the Sixers 37.0 percent to 25.8 percent in the first half for a 44-32 lead.
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The Wizards pounced coming out of halftime. They outscored the Sixers 38-24 by shooting 46.4 percent from the field and 42.1 percent from three in the third.
The Sixers were stifled by minute restrictions. Joel Embiid, Gerald Henderson and Nik Stauskas had reached their limits for the night.
“I thought when we took Joel out of the game and Gerald was out of the game that our defensive sting went away,” Brown said.
Shooting guard Bradley Beal delivered a blow to the Sixers' defense in the third. He dropped 15 points (5 for 6 from the field, 4 for 4 three-pointers) in only seven minutes.
“That’s what he does. He makes shots,” Brown said. “He’s a legitimate wing that can make shots. And we felt every one of those. It’s part of us trying to find our own rhythm, our own offensive rhythm. But we especially give him the credit.”
The Sixers also dug themselves a hole by struggling on offense. They got off to a slow start and didn’t reach double digits until three minutes to go in the first quarter. They made just eight field goals (25.8 percent) and went 1 for 12 from three (8.3 percent) in the first half.
The Wizards wrapped the game outshooting the Sixers 42.0 percent to 32.9 percent. The Sixers did finish with the edge on the boards, 54 to 47 with a combined 22 from Embiid and Richaun Holmes.
“We got jumped with a team that’s here at home and they shot it,” Brown said. “They really came in and did a good job of making some shots.”