Iguodala gets 22, 11 & 9; 76ers break 4-game skid

WASHINGTON (AP)—Andre Iguodala sliced through the defense for a one-handed dunk. About a minute later, he made a steal in open court and converted it into a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the third quarter.

Sequences such as those helped get Iguodala within one rebound of a triple-double and the Philadelphia 76ers out of a post-All-Star game funk. They also infuriated Washington Wizards coach Ed Tapscott into a new level of frustration—to the point where he might start baby-sitting his players before games.

Iguodala had 22 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds Wednesday night as the 76ers snapped a four-game losing streak with a 106-98 win over the Washington Wizards.

Iguodala wasn’t far off from a quadruple-double, but that was because he also had seven turnovers. He knew his triple-double seemed a good bet when he got his ninth rebound with 1:55 to play—until the Wizards started hitting shots in the final possessions.

“Guys were telling me, but it’s a jinx every time someone tells me,” Iguodala said. “I just play. I can always feel it. I felt it in the first quarter that I was coming together. I just told myself to just continue to play and try to make plays for everybody. I turned the ball over a lot, too.”

The victory completed the 76ers’ four-game sweep of the Wizards, reinforcing the fact that Philadelphia’s early season coaching change has paid off much better than Washington’s. Tony DiLeo improved to 19-14 with Philadelphia, while Tapscott fell to 12-34 in the battle of interim coaches.

Andre Miller scored 17 points, Louis Williams had 16 points, Willie Green chipped in 12, and Samuel Dalembert finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds as the 76ers improved to .500 on the season.

“That was an important game for us just to get back on track,” said DiLeo, whose team lost to the New Jersey Nets on a half-court buzzer-beater Monday night.

The Wizards have been off-track all season, and Tapscott said his team lacked “focus, concentration, effort and execution”—and he pounded the lectern several times to emphasize the point. He said he might have to begin scripting a pregame preparation period for his players so that they will be mentally ready to play.

“If that means I’m out there on the floor in my sweats, we’ll do that,” he said.

Asked for his reaction, co-captain Antawn Jamison said: “That’s embarrassing that Coach is saying that now. He’s been saying that for almost since he’s taken over and still for some guys that is a joke. He’s done everything possible to have not only the vets, but everybody ready to play basketball, and it’s a time when certain guys have got to be professional and treat it as their job and be mentally prepared as well as physically prepared.”

Caron Butler scored 17, Jamison had 16, and Dominic McGuire picked up 14 points and matched his career-high with 14 rebounds for the Wizards, who were hurt by 21 turnovers, including nine in the third quarter.

The 76ers led the entire second half, taking control with a 12-0 run that began late in the third quarter. Iguodala provided two quick highlights: the slam and the 31-foot buzzer-beater after taking the ball from Mike James.

“We’re going to lean on Andre to make plays for us down the stretch,” Green said. “When teams make a run, we’re going to just get him the ball and he’ll get a bucket, get somebody a shot or get to the free-throw line. He did a great job today of just playing basketball. He got out on the break. He hit some 3s. He got the free-throw line. He rebounded. He had assists. He’s one of those guys who can do a little bit of everything.”

Notes

The 76ers are 1-2 after three games of a four-game road trip. … Philadelphia swept Washington for the first time since the 2002-03 season. … The crowd was announced as 16,505, but the Wizards’ miserable season is contributing to thousands of no-shows. In the same arena the night before, another Philadelphia-Washington game—Flyers vs. Capitals—was hard-ticket-to-get sellout. … The Wizard Girls had to abandon their routine during a first-half timeout when the wrong music starting playing—twice. The dance team finally gave up, waved to the crowd and ran off the court to scattered boos. … The Wizards went 11-for-11 from the free-throw line in the first half.