Bradley Beal Gave Kudos to Joel Embiid for Defense vs. Wizards

The Philadelphia 76ers loved what they saw out of Joel Embiid on Sunday night, especially on the defensive end. While the big man had a signature 30-plus-point outing, Embiid’s presence on the defensive end of the floor made a notable impact from the rip.

“He’s a willing defender,” said Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal. “So, that’s half of the job.”

The Sixers’ all-around defensive effort on Sunday was great, as they prevented Washington’s stars from gaining any type of rhythm early on in the matchup.

Specifically for Embiid, the big man’s aggressiveness stood out to Beal as the guard had one of his toughest nights on the offensive end.

“His size and his ability to alter shots and be able to control the boards makes it tough,” Beal explained. “He was switching up his pick-and-roll coverages. On me, he was a little bit more up and aggressive at times. Like a double trying to force me to pass.”

On Sunday night, Beal checked into the game for nearly 30 minutes. He shot 41 percent from the field, scoring just 13 points. The matchup was just the fourth time Beal failed to exceed 13 points while playing for at least ten minutes in 46 games.

And as Beal struggled against Embiid and the Sixers’ defense, nobody else on Washington really picked up the slack on offense.

“For the rest of our guys, he was dropping and forcing us to play in the mid-range,” Beal continued. “Forcing us to take floaters and mid-range shots. He does a really good job of mixing it up and making us think.”

Overall, the Wizards drained just 40 percent of their shots on Sunday night. From three, the Wizards had a tough outing as they knocked down just six of their 26 attempts. It was clear Sunday was not Washington’s night. Going into the fourth quarter, they trailed 81-69.

In the final 12 minutes, both teams made it an early night for some of their key players. For the Wizards, Beal and Daniel Gafford got the entire fourth quarter off. As for the Sixers, everybody but James Harden in the starting five remained on the bench for the entire fourth quarter as the Sixers cruised past the Wizards with a 112-93 win.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.