Philadelphia bounces back after routing Washington

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Philadelphia 76ers quickly moved on from a double OT nightmare loss against the Atlanta Hawks and vented their ire on the Washington Wizards, 121-102, in the ongoing NBA regular season on Dec. 3, 2025.

Eager to return to the NBA’s win column, the laser-focused Philadelphia squad ran the Wizards down until they lost firepower in the pivotal third quarter, where the 76ers mounted their largest lead of the game at 36 points.

An overwhelming Philadelphia balanced attack took a toll on the Wizards’ hot start, spearheaded by Tyrese Maxey, who came off a superb 44-point outing in a losing effort against Atlanta.

The daredevil guard didn’t slow down and led the 76ers’ point of attack, steering Philadelphia to a 12-point lead at the end of the first half, 66-54.

Just when Washington thought the Marvin Bagley–Kyshawn George 1-2 punch could put some pressure on Maxey’s attacking drives, the third frame suddenly became a lopsided affair when the bench mob chipped in to pile up the 76ers’ highest-scoring quarter of the game with 35 points.

It wasn’t Maxey who dictated the pace, but the quartet of Jared McCain, Dominick Barlow, Paul George, and Andre Drummond helped maintain Philadelphia’s advantage.

McCain came off the bench and provided the much-needed offensive punch when Maxey took a breather, draining huge three-point shots that kicked off a massive Philadelphia closing rally heading to the fourth frame.

Controlling the boards for the 76ers, which helped them push the tempo, were Barlow and Drummond, who out-boxed Washington’s frontcourt, while George pushed Philadelphia’s lead back to 28 points when the Wizards went on a mini-run midway through the final canto.

Maxey couldn’t be stopped for the second consecutive game, leading all scorers with a game-high 35-point performance built from an efficient 13-of-26 shooting from the field.

He also stuffed the stat sheet, doing all the intangibles to record six assists, four rebounds, four steals, and a block in just 28 minutes of playing time.

McCain became a catalyst and made the most out of his playing time in the second period, finishing with 14 markers, five dimes, and three boards.

What made the win more impressive was that the 76ers didn’t need the services of superstar center Joel Embiid and explosive scorer Quentin Grimes, who were both sidelined due to respective injuries.

The 76ers will look to maintain momentum and pick up their second consecutive dub on Dec. 5, 2025, against the banged-up Golden State Warriors, who will be without Stephen Curry, still out due to a quad injury.