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USATSI

The Philadelphia 76ers won the first three games of their first-round series in commanding fashion, and now the Washington Wizards will look to avoid the sweep in Game 4 on Monday night. After being relatively quiet in the first two games, Joel Embiid had his best game of the series in Game 3 as he dropped a playoff career-high 36 points to go along with eight rebounds, and he did so in only 28 minutes of action. The Wizards double-teamed Embiid heavily in the first two games, and they opted against doing so in Game 3, so it will be interesting to see what they decide to do in Game 4. 

Unfortunately for Washington, nothing it's tried has worked so far. When Embiid was doubled, others like Tobias Harris, Ben Simmons and Seth Curry stepped up for Philadelphia, and Embiid went to work on Washington's single coverage. Bradley Beal has had a solid series for the Wizards, as he's averaged 29 points per performance, but he just hasn't had enough help on the offensive end. Washington will need other players to step up in Game 4, or else the series won't make it back to Philadelphia. 

Here's everything you need to know about Game 4 between the 76ers and Wizards. 

(1) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (8) Washington Wizards

  • Date: Monday, May 31 | Time: 7 p.m. ET
  • Location: Capital One Arena -- Washington D.C. 
  • TV: TNT | Live stream: TNT
  • Odds: WAS +250; PHI -300 | O/U: 230.5 (via William Hill Sportsbook)  

Storylines

76ers: Focus is the key for the Sixers in this game. They have the series well in hand, and they have to make sure that their focus stays on the task at hand. It would certainly be tempting to look ahead to a potential second-round matchup with the Hawks or Knicks, but that's how mistakes get made, and the Sixers don't want to play any more games than they have to. As long as they remain focused and locked in they should be fine. On the court they can just keep doing what they've been doing, as they have been the clearly superior team on both ends of the floor throughout the series. 

Wizards: This one is about pride for the Wizards. No team has ever come back in a series after being down 3-0, and they're probably not going to be the first. They're simply overmatched in the series, but they have a choice in Game 4. They can either fight and try to climb back into the series and at least make it respectable, or they can lay down and get ready for the offseason. Given the fact that the always-intense Russell Westbrook is on the team, it seems likely they'll fight, but you never know how a team will respond with its back to the wall. We'll find out a lot about these Wizards in Game 4. 

Prediction

The Sixers have been the far superior team on both ends of the floor in this series, and the Wizards have provided us with no reason to think that will change. The Sixers haven't even had to play their starters in the fourth quarter of the past two contests. Unless the Wizards get an otherworldly performance from Beal and/or Westbrook, the Sixers will complete the sweep. Pick: 76ers -7.5