Roob’s Observations: 8 insane stats from 76ers’ blowout win originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The 76ers keep on rolling and so do the stats!
The 76ers’ 132-103 win over the Wizards Saturday night at Capital One Arena was certainly historic.
Let’s take a look!
MOST LOPSIDED WIN EVER: The 29-point margin of victory is the 76ers’ biggest in franchise history in a road playoff game. The previous record was 25 in a 131-106 win over the Buffalo Braves (now the L.A. Clippers) at Buffalo Memorial Auditorium on April 16, 1976, in the second game of their best-of-3 1st-round series. It was the only game in the series the 76ers won. The 29-point margin of victory is also the 76ers’ 6th-biggest in any playoff game and largest since a 33-point win (121-88) over the Raptors in Game 5 of their 2001 conference semifinal series.
THREE IN A ROW: This is the first time since 1987 the 76ers have scored 120 points in three straight playoff games and the first time since 1967 they’ve scored 120 points in the first three games of any series. Last time they scored 120 in three straight games was Game 2, 3 and 4 of the Eastern Conference 1st-round series against the Bucks. Last time they opened a series with three straight 120-point games was the 1967 NBA finals against the San Francisco Warriors, when they scored 141, 126, 124 and 122 in the first four games on the way to the NBA Championship, their first in Philadelphia.
JOEL CAN’T MISS: Joel Embiid shot 14-for-18 from the field for 78 percent. That’s the second-highest field goal percentage in 76ers postseason history with a minimum of 15 shots. The only higher shooting percentage belongs to Wilt Chamberlain, who shot 12-for-15 for 80 percent in a 110-109 loss to the Celtics at Boston Garden in the seventh and deciding game of their 1965 Eastern Division series (the Havlicek Stole the Ball game).
RIDICULOUS FIRST HALVES: Until Wednesday, the 76ers had gone 260 consecutive playoff games without scoring 71 points in a first half. Now they’ve done it twice in four days. Before the Washington series, the last time the 76ers had a 71-point first half was April 20, 1978, when they led the Knicks 72-65 at Madison Square Garden on their way to a 137-126 win in Game 3 of their first-round series. Then they scored 71 in the first half of their 120-95 win Wednesday and 72 Saturday night. They’ve only scored 71 1st-half points in one other playoff game – they had 73 in the first half of a 141-135 overtime win over the San Francisco Warriors in Game 1 of the 1967 NBA Finals.
PILING UP THE POINTS: Even though Doc Rivers played the subs for virtually the entire fourth quarter, the 76ers’ 132 points is still the 10th-most the 76ers have ever scored in a playoff game and the 2nd-most they’ve ever scored on the road. The most they’ve scored in a road playoff win was 137 in that Knicks game in 1978 we wrote about earlier.
DWIGHT HOWARD MAGIC: After recording 11 rebounds in 16 minutes in Game 2, Dwight Howard had 9 rebounds in 16 minutes Saturday night. He’s the first player in NBA history with two games in any postseason series with 9 or more boards in 16 or fewer minutes and the first with two such games in his career since Lloyd Neal had a couple in different series for the Trail Blazers in 1977.
THE WIZARDS DON’T PLAY DEFENSE: The 76ers made 17 of 33 attempts from 3 for 51.5 percent. That’s the 2nd-highest in franchise history in a playoff game in which they attempted 30 or more 3’s. They were 18-for-34 against the Heat in Game 3 of their 1st-round series win over the Heat in 2018.
THEY CAN’T SHOOT EITHER: The Wizards’ 22.9 percent shooting from 3 on 8-for-35 is 2nd-worst ever in a playoff game against the 76ers by a team attempting 30 or more 3’s. The Nets were 8-for-39 (20.5 percent) in a 131-115 loss to the 76ers in Game 3 of their 2019 1st-round series.