National Basketball Association

Philadelphia 76ers jump to 2-0 series lead over the Wizards

Updated May. 26, 2021 10:46 p.m. ET

The Philadelphia 76ers took their second playoff win in a row against Washington, and they made it look easy.

The Sixers thoroughly dismantled the Wizards to the tune of a 120-95 victory in Game 2 on Wednesday at Wells Fargo Center.

The 76ers now lead 2-0 as the best-of-seven series shifts to Washington for Games 3 and 4.

Here is how the Sixers did it:

Key performer: Joel Embiid

Embiid put up 22 points, seven rebounds and three assists in 26 minutes Wednesday. He shot 8-for-12 overall, including going 3-for-4 from 3 and a perfect 3-for-3 at the free-throw line. He did not appear in the fourth quarter.

Turning point: Sixers take a 20-point lead

With 6:58 left in the third quarter, Embiid sank a 26-foot 3-point jumper to give Philly a 20-point lead over the Wizards, at 85-65.

The Wizards attempted to rally, but at the 5:34 mark, Sixers' power forward Tobias Harris hit a 27-foot 3-pointer to retain the 20-point lead, at 90-70, and Washington never bounced back.

Harris finished the night with 19 points and nine rebounds on 9-for-13 shooting.

Wild card: Ben Simmons' scoring

Simmons, who averaged 14.3 points per game in the regular season, tied Embiid with a game-high 22 points Wednesday. After shooting 3-for-9 for six points in 38 minutes in Game 1, Simmons went 11-for-15 in 29 minutes in Game 2, recording nine rebounds and eight assists to boot.

He is the first 76ers player in the past 25 seasons to record multiple playoff halves with at least 15 points, five rebounds and five assists.

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Twitter's take:

Did you know?

This is the sixth consecutive playoff loss for Russell Westbrook, dating to last season’s West semifinals against the Lakers (when Westbrook was on the Rockets). The point guard exited Wednesday's game early with an apparent ankle injury.

He did not leave without incident.

Also, the 76ers have held a 2-0 lead in 13 best-of-seven playoff series, and they went on to win 12 of those 13.

What's next:

The Wizards host the Sixers for Game 3 at 7 p.m. ET Saturday (ESPN).

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