Philadelphia 76ers vs Washington Wizards Prediction & Match Preview - January 17th, 2022 | NBA Season 2021-22

The visiting Philadelphia 76ers are hoping to stay unbeaten against the Washington Wizards this season on Monday. [Photo: Los Angeles Times]

The in-form Philadelphia 76ers will try to go 2-0 against the Washington Wizards this season on Monday at Capital One Arena. Philly drubbed Washington 117-96 in their first encounter, also on the Wizards’ home floor.

All-Star center Joel Embiid led the Philadelphia 76ers to a pulsating win over the Miami Heat in their last encounter. He also got plenty of help from Seth Curry and Tobias Harris to carry the 76ers to back-to-back wins. Philly will be looking to extend their winning streak to three against the Washington Wizards.

Meanwhile, the Washington Wizards’ three-game winning run was snapped by the undermanned Portland Trail Blazers in their last game. With Bradley Beal under health and safety protocols, the Wizards were led by Spencer Dinwiddie and Kyle Kuzma.

Throwin' shots in here 👀

#DCAboveAll | @kylekuzma https://t.co/FeK4wdYUBx

The Trail Blazers were without CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard, but the Washington Wizards lost because of their inability to take care of the ball. Their 20 turnovers, a few of them unforced, doomed their chances, particularly in the closing stages of the game.

Match Details

Fixture: Philadelphia 76ers vs Washington Wizards | 2021-22 NBA season.

Date & Time: Monday, January 17th; 2:00 PM ET (Tuesday, January 18th; 12:30 AM IST).

Venue: Capital One Arena, Washington, DC.

Philadelphia 76ers Preview

The Philadelphia 76ers are 9-1 in their last 10 games. [Photo: NetsDaily]

The surging Philadelphia 76ers have won two straight games and nine of their last 10. If not for a late collapse against the Charlotte Hornets, they could have easily been undefeated. Philly are on a hot streak behind their rugged and stifling defense.

From a middling defensive team, the Philadelphia 76ers have now inched into the top ten in defensive rating. In the last 10 games, their 105.5 defensive rating would make them third in the rankings behind the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns.

On offense, Joel Embiid has been near unstoppable for the Philadelphia 76ers. With JoJo playing at an MVP level, the 76ers will always have a chance against every team in the NBA.

Key Player - Joel Embiid

The Miami Heat got the full dose of Joel Embiid at his best. “Troel Joel” dominated the Heat in the second half with 25 big points. Even if Bam Adebayo had been around, the way Embiid played, there was just no stopping him.

Embiid put the Philadelphia 76ers on his back and carried them to the win. He also showed the full repertoire of his arsenal. The Heat had no one to stand up to his bully ball, give a decent challenge to his fadeaways and not look foolish with his up-and-under moves.

Joe Embiid tonight:

32 points
12 rebounds
3 assists
54.5% FG

#JoelEmbiid #NBAAIIStar https://t.co/bhBjqIzkJz

For good measure, he also brought up the ball to set up their halfcourt sets and generate the offense by himself. An argument could easily be made for him to be called the best player in the NBA right now.

Philadelphia 76ers Predicted Lineup

G - Tyrese Maxey | G - Seth Curry | F - Furkan Korkmaz | F - Tobias Harris | C - Joel Embiid.

Washington Wizards Preview

Defense has been the Achilles heel of the Washngton Wizards lately. [Photo: Fadeaway World]

The Washington Wizards are trending in the opposite way of the Philadelphia 76ers. From a top ten defense, they have now fallen to 22nd in defensive rating. More alarmingly, that defense has regressed even more in the last 10 games. Their 114.5 defensive rating in the last 10 games is the worst in the league.

That sieve-like defense was on full display against the Blazers, who did not have Lillard, McCollum, Larry Nance and Norman Powell. The Washington Wizards made Jusuf Nurkic, Anfernee Simmons and Robert Covington look like All-Stars.

Compounding their porous defense is their lack of focus on the offensive end. The often sloppy execution resulted in 20 turnovers that practically doomed every chance they had of salvaging a win. They need to play way better for a chance to win on their home floor on Monday.

Key Player - Spencer Dinwiddie

Spencer Dinwiddie was acquired by the Washington Wizards to be the catalyst on offense, particularly if Bradley Beal is out for some reason. The 28-year-old combo guard has done exactly that this season.

Without Bradley Beal in nine games, Dinwiddie has led the team in scoring with 23.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 8.2 assists. He’s also shooting a sizzling 40.7% of his threes in those games.

The Washington Wizards point guard did everything possible in their last game against the Blazers. He finished with 27 points and seven assists. Despite all the defensive attention thrown at him by the Blazers, he committed only three turnovers and was +6 in net rating.

The Washington Wizards (22-21) fell to the Portland Trail Blazers (17-25), 115-110, as the home team could not overcome an 18-point second-half deficit.

Spencer Dinwiddie had a team-high 27 points and 7 assists in his 34 minutes of play. https://t.co/qoRKstNfWv

He is expected to lead the Washington Wizards again if Beal remains under health protocols.

Washington Wizards Predicted Lineup

G - Spencer Dinwiddie | G - Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | F - Corey Kispert | F - Kyle Kuzma | C - Daniel Gafford.

76ers vs Wizards Match Prediction

The Philadelphia 76ers are playing exceptional basketball behind Joel Embiid’s spectacular form. They’ll be visiting the Wizards, who could miss Bradley Beal or only see him in restricted minutes.

Unless the Wizards solve their major defensive issues overnight, Philly could be on its way to a three-game winning run.

Where to watch the 76ers vs Wizards game

The NBA League Pass will stream the game live. Local coverage of the matchup is available via NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Philadelphia.