Remember when the Sixers took care of the Wizards Tuesday night at home and Joel Embiid had some fun with a young fan?

This time, the 17-point margin went in favor of the Wizards in D.C. A horrible performance saw Washington take the second part of the back-to-back 123-106.

Joel Embiid had another double-double with 35 points and 14 rebounds, while Jimmy Butler had 23 points. Furkan Korkmaz and Ben Simmons registered in the mid-teens, but the bench (and Wilson Chandler’s five points) sucked. Landry Shamet scored five points, the highest for a guy coming off the bench.

As for Washington, Bradley Beal put up 34 and Otto Porter Jr. scored 23. They got more production from their bench as well.

A grueling stretch quickly approaches for the team. But that comes after a Friday night date with the Atlanta Hawks at home. That’ll start the second half of their season, and with a 27-14 record they’re on pace for 54 wins, two more than last year.

The Roundup:


The Eagles continue to prep for New Orleans on Sunday. We’ll start with the Saints, because Sean Payton did a pretty ballsy move.

Now to the team that people like, the Eagles. They released an estimated injury report:

Speaking of Wentz, he still hasn’t been ruled out for Sunday.

After missing most of the season, Tim Jernigan hopes to be a big difference maker in the rematch with the Saints.

“Timmy meant an awful lot to us last year and he’s been missed most of the season,’’ defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said. “But getting him back – first, there’s the component of him as a player, and he’s a good player.

“The other thing is something you really can’t put your finger on. He means something to our spirit. He’s a guy that has a little bit of contagious energy. You just see him out on the field. He brings a confidence. He brings a toughness. He has made some big plays for us.’’

When Schwartz’s comments were relayed to Jernigan, he smiled and said: “That’s just who I am, man. I don’t try to be a mascot or nothing. I’m a three-technique [tackle]. I don’t gotta do all that [other stuff].

“I love football. I love the game. I’ve been through some things, so I cherish every second I’m on the football field. Every time I’m out there, I need to take advantage of it and be thankful.’’

Also, the Eagles signed more guys to reserve/future contracts.


The Phillies and White Sox are reportedly the final two teams for Manny Machado. We shall see.

If Machado somehow doesn’t work out, Mike Moustakas could be a backup option.


With the Flyers officially in last place in the NHL, could they make some trades and be sellers?

Fletcher has had contract talks with Simmonds’ agent, Eustace King, but the sides have not reached an agreement.

As the trade deadline gets closer, Simmonds’ name will heat up because he is a player who can help a contender – and might be their missing piece. From the Flyers’ standpoint, he is also the player most likely to be dealt when you factor in the contracts on the team.

After playing through a slew of injuries last year, Simmonds underwent hip and core-muscle surgery in the offseason, and it usually takes about nine months before a player is fully recovered. He is at that timeframe, and in recent games, you can see his stride and quickness improving.

In other words, he should be in great form for the stretch run and the playoffs.

The Flyers host Dallas tonight at 7 PM on NBC Sports Philadelphia.


In college hoops, Temple upset previously undefeated #17 Houston 73-69. Quinton Rose put up a game-high 22 points.

VCU used a strong second half to defeat La Salle 69-63.

St. Bonaventure took care of St. Joe’s 73-47.


Northern Illinois head coach Rod Carey is the front-runner to become Temple’s next head football coach.

The UFC is coming back to Philadelphia for the first time in eight years.


In other sports news, the Oakland A’s expect Kyler Murray to declare for the NFL Draft.

The Jets will hire Adam Gase as their next head coach and I’m still laughing about this.

The NFL and NFLPA released a statement saying they didn’t give six random drug tests to Eric Reid.

Marquette’s Markus Howard scored 53-points in a 106-104 overtime win against Creighton.


In the news, there’s a manhunt in South Philadelphia who fled after a police chase and crash.

A second mysterious fast radio wave was detected in space.