WASHINGTON — Former Arizona Wildcat Joseph Blair was next in Washington’s line of succession. With coach Wes Unseld Jr. and assistant Pat Delany in health and safety protocols, it would be his job to run the team.
Blair’s players made that task a little easier.
“Some feelings, words don’t do justice, and I think today was one for me,” Blair said. “You get kind of consumed in the game at a certain point, and you no longer care where you’re at. You’re just doing what you need to do to get the team moving forward, whether it’s when I’m standing up as the head coach or if I’m sitting on the bench as an assistant coach.”
Kyle Kuzma had 15 points and 16 rebounds, and Bradley Beal added 13 points in his return from a three-game absence to lift the Washington Wizards to a 117-98 victory over Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday.
Unseld missed a second straight game after entering health and safety protocols. Delany, who coached the team Saturday, also entered the protocols, forcing Blair to take over for this game. Blair was a head coach in the G League with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in 2018-19. Then he was an NBA assistant for Philadelphia and Minnesota before joining Unseld’s new staff in Washington this season.
Beal had been out since entering the protocols himself, but he returned and scored 11 points in the first quarter. Washington went on an early 11-0 run and never looked back.
Embiid scored 32 points for the 76ers, but he was on the receiving end of the game’s biggest highlight when Kuzma dunked over him in the second quarter. Philadelphia lost for only the second time in its last 11 games.
After the Wizards led 61-55 at halftime, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored seven quick points in the third quarter, including a 3-pointer that put Washington up 72-59.
“Dog days of the NBA, but you’ve got to fight through that,” Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey said. “We started out slow, and it’s hard to come back once you start out slow.”
It was a six-point lead early in the fourth before the Wizards went on a 22-5 run to put the game away.
Washington had seven players in double figures. Montrezl Harrel led the way with 18 points, and Thomas Bryant had 15.
“It didn’t matter who they played tonight,” 76ers coach Doc Rivers said. “All of them played better than our guys. It was just one of those nights. I thought we got outplayed in every phase of the game.”
Celtics 104, Pelicans 92: In Boston, Jayson Tatum scored 27 points and Boston erased an 18-point first-half deficit.
Tatum scored 21 in the second half to help Boston rally for its fifth win in six games.
Hornets 97, Knicks 87: In New York, Miles Bridges scored a career-high 38 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, leading Charlotte.
Terry Rozier added 22 points. He and Bridges combined to outscore the Knicks by themselves in the first half as Charlotte bounced back nicely from a loss to Orlando that ended its four-game winning streak.
Cavaliers 114, Nets 107: In Cleveland, Darius Garland strengthened his All-Star case with 22 points and 12 assists, leading the Cavs past Brooklln, which began a stretch without injured superstar Kevin Durant.
Isaac Okoro added 15 points and Jarrett Allen had 14 and 10 rebounds for the Cavs, who won their fifth straight.
Kyrie Irving scored 27 points in his fourth game of the season and James Harden added 22 for Brooklyn, which was playing its first game since Durant, the NBA’s leading scorer, sprained his left knee. He’s expected to be out several weeks.
Clippers 139, Pacers 133: In Los Angeles, Nicolas Batum scored a season-high 32 points, Reggie Jackson added 26 points and the Clippes won in a matchup of sub-.500 teams.
Marcus Morris had 21 points for the Clippers, who snapped a two-game skid with their highest-scoring game of the season. Batum and Jackson combined to score 33 of their team’s 35 points in the fourth.
Grizzlies 119, Bulls 106: In Memphis, Tenn., Desmond Bane and Ja Morant scored 25 points each, and the Grizzlies dominated the short-handed Bulls for their 12th win in 13 games.
Brandon Clarke added 15 points and seven rebounds in the Grizzlies’ main event of the 20th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration.
