Observations From Sixers’ Dominant Game Three Victory

After taking care of business on their home court, the Sixers traveled to Washington to potentially finish their first-round series. They took the court Saturday night with a chance to take a commanding 3-0 over the Wizards. 

Things continue to trend in the right direction for the Sixers. Despite being on the road, they have kept their vice grip on this series. Behind an incredible showing from Joel Embiid, the Sixers picked up another blowout victory. Winning by a final score of 132-103.

Here are some observations from Saturday's matchup. 

Sixers' starters put on a clinic 

Many wondered how the Sixers were going to look in their first postseason game on the road. The short trip to D.C. did not seem to faze them as they maintained their sharp focus. Dwight Howard said after shootaround that this was a "business trip," and the starters treated it as so. 

The Sixers' starters were firing on all cylinders Saturday night. Washington had no answer for them on either end of the floor. All five starters ended the game with at least 15 points and had a +/- of 25 or better. 

This starting lineup has been successful all year, but Saturday was one of their best showings of this entire season. From the opening tip, they played with the intent of getting rid of all thoughts of hope for Washington. 

Shooters get hot from deep 

Part of what led to this impressive showing from the starters was their outside shooting. Seth Curry and Danny Green were aggressive hunting threes and found the range early from beyond the arc. 

Green scored all of his points exclusively from three, hitting five of his nine attempts. Curry knocked down three triples en route to finishing with 15 points. 

The team as a whole joined in on this three-point barrage. Six different players recorded a make from three, and four players had two or more makes. 

It can't be stressed enough how crucial hunting threes is for the Sixers. When Green and Curry are hitting their shots, teams are forced to pick their poison when defending. When they can't leave the shooters, it opens things up for Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Tobias Harris to attack. 

Joel Embiid goes supernova 

The MVP of the night is undoubtedly Joel Embiid. Washington has yet to find a way to slow him down in any sort throughout this series. After Tobias Harris dropped a playoff career-high in game one, Embiid followed suit in game three. 

Embiid did it all in Saturday's win. In 28 minutes of action, the MVP finalist posted a stat line of 36 points, eight rebounds, two assists, three steals, and one block. Of his 18 shot attempts, he missed only four of them. 

After being one of the league's most dominant players in the regular season, Embiid has carried it into the postseason. Not only has Embiid posted incredible numbers, but he has done it with great efficiency. 

This has been a picture-perfect start to the postseason for the All-Star big man. He looks more than ready to lift the Sixers to new heights in these playoffs.