Philadelphia 76ers vs. Washington Wizards: X-factors, key matchups, prediction

Taking a closer look at the first-round NBA Playoff series between the Philadelphia 76ers and Washington Wizards. 

After making their way out of the NBA Play-In Tournament, by beating the Indiana Pacers in the decisive Game 3 of the Eastern Conference bracket, the Washington Wizards, as the 8th seed, will turn its attention to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Even though the Brooklyn Nets have garnered most of the attention in the East, it’s the Sixers that have been the most consistent team in the conference this season. Led by Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, and new head coach Doc Rivers, the Sixers have bright eyes on making a deep playoff run.

On the other hand, the Wizards are hoping just to make things a bit more complicated for Philadelphia in the first round.

And as long as Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook are on the floor for the team, Washington should be able to do that. The Wizards lost all three meetings to the Sixers this season, but anything can happen in the postseason.

Taking a closer look at this series, we explore several factors that will ultimately decide this series between the Wizards and Sixers.