The “It’s Happening” Ron Paul meme adequately reflects the start of preseason basketball. Tuesday started the Philadelphia 76ers slate of games leading up to the regular season. Heading down to Washington, the start wasn’t ideal f0r the organization.
Philadelphia claimed an early advantage in the contest, thanks to the stellar play from Jahlil Okafor, who highlighted a 9-3 advantage to open the game. Washington’s second unit drastically shifted the game into the Wizards favor, as the bench fueled a double-digit lead before Philadelphia cut the score to 56-54 at the half.
ALSO ON HOOPSHABIT: 25 Best Players To Play For The 76ers
The Wizards’ barrage of triples in the second half inevitably pushed Washington into blowout category, as they secured a 129-95 victory.
Otto Porter paced the Wizards with 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting and point guard John Wall added 19 points. Seven Washington players reached double-digits in scoring.
There were evident positives and struggles for the Sixers on both sides of the ball. Here are five picked up from Tuesday’s preseason opener.
Next: Okafor's Added A Jumper