Philadelphia 76ers vs Washington Wizards Box Score on Oct 18, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Oct 18, 2017

WASHINGTON -- John Wall scored 18 of his 28 points in the second half, Bradley Beal had 25 and the Washington Wizards opened the regular season with a 120-115 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night.

Coming off a 49-win season and finishing one game shy of reaching the Eastern Conference finals, the Wizards couldn't fend off Joel Embiid and the youthful 76ers until the final seconds.

Washington led 113-106 with 3:35 remaining on Marcin Gortat's layup, but Philadelphia pulled within 115-113 on two Ben Simmons free throws with 1:44 left.

The 76ers twice had possession with a chance to take the lead but committed turnovers each time, including Robert Covington's with 20 seconds remaining. The Wizards hit five of six free throws in the final seconds.

Embiid had 18 points, 13 rebounds and one block in 27 minutes. He was only expected to play around 16 minutes as Philadelphia planned on limiting its injury-prone big man's minutes.

Leg injuries sidelined Embiid, who signed a $148 million contract extension earlier this month, to 31 games in his first three seasons.

Covington had 29 points and sank 7 of 11 3-pointers. Simmons finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Gortat had 16 points and 17 rebounds. Kelly Oubre Jr. and Jodie Meeks each scored 14 points off the bench for Washington, which opened at home for the first time since 2011.

Last season, the Wizards opened the season with sluggish 2-8 record.

But Washington returns the core of the team that fell to Boston in an intense seven-game series, though starting power forward Markieff Morris (sports hernia surgery) is expected to miss the opening 3-to-4 weeks of the season.

Jason Smith, Morris' replacement in the starting lineup, suffered a right shoulder injury in the first half and did not return.

The game marked the NBA debut for the two most recent No. 1 overall selections. Simmons, the top pick in 2016, missed the 2016-17 campaign with a foot injury.

Markelle Fultz, who hails from the D.C. area suburbs, had 10 points off the bench. Selected first overall in the 2017 NBA Draft, Fultz battled shoulder and knee injuries during the preseason.

NOTES: Washington hasn't won at least 49 games in back-to-back seasons since 1968-69 and 1969-70. ... The 76ers have dropped four season openers in a row. ... Washington hosts the Detroit Pistons Friday before embarking on a four-game Western Conference road trip. ... Boston visits Philadelphia on Friday. The 76ers selected G Markelle Fultz after acquiring the No. 1 overall selection in the 2017 NBA Draft from the Celtics in June. Boston used the No. 3 pick on F Jayson Tatum.