76ers 146, Wizards 101
Q. Talk about the team's effort, trying to stay in it. They got the early jump on you.
WES UNSELD JR.: Well, I think in spurts we did, but just not consistently enough. It is deflating when you miss shots and you feel like you're on your heels the whole game, but I do think there were some stretches we showed a little bit more resilience.
We can't be that swayed by our offense. Just from the three-point line, we struggled with making open shots and were kind of deflated. We've got to anchor ourselves even more and try to get a stop.
Q. What was your take on the team's defensive disposition at the beginning of the game, and was the level of energy and effort where it needed to be at the start of the game?
WES UNSELD JR.: Well, I thought we were trying to do what -- the plan was basically to show a crowd, don't let Embiid get going early, and they hit the four straight threes, you're in the paint, you're in the lane. We've got to be a little more urgency to get to those three-point shooters. I think that's when it kind of deflated us a little bit. They got off to a hot start, and we were kind of sledding uphill.
Q. Even in a resetting year, should a group of players, some of whom have some experience, be that deflated that early in a game?
WES UNSELD JR.: Well, I mean, whether you are or not, I think we're all human. You can be frustrated, that's fine. But how do you respond to that? That's the question in my opinion. We didn't respond well enough.
Q. I was wondering what the locker room was like after. You saw the frustration, but Kuz was still running off the bench in the fourth quarter. I wondered what the mood was like overall.
WES UNSELD JR.: I think this group has been relatively resilient in that regard, managing frustrations. I'm sure guys are pissed. There's nobody in there that's happy right now.
But once again, how do you manage that? Do you channel that into each other? Do you kind of help, all right, push each other to get better, or do you just wallow in your own sorrows? We can't do that?
I think it's important that we take lessons and learn. Obviously things aren't going our way right now, but we certainly can't feel sorry for ourselves. Nobody else does. So we've got to find a way to pick each other up, keep pushing, learn from some of the mistakes, and keep getting better.
Q. Tonight was obviously a little bit of an extreme circumstance, but what can you do to get Jordan going at a higher level on offense? He's not shooting poorly or anything like that, but I imagine you need a little bit more from him to help Kuz out.
WES UNSELD JR.: Yeah, he's had some decent games here and there. It's just finding that level of consistency. We're trying to find something easy for him. We know every time teams are going to put their best defender, their second best defender on him. They're going to put size and length on both him and Kuz. It's not going to be easy.
I think we've been pretty good when we're out and running, we're in the open floor. He's got space to play. But I think we have to trust -- show a little bit more trust in each other, getting off the ball at the right time, spacing, and just holding and being in the right spot to open the floor. I think sometimes we're guarding ourselves.
Q. Do you take any solace in knowing this is setting up something bigger down the road?
WES UNSELD JR.: I think not really looking at their situation, I think just more the plans and the conversations that we've had internally that it'll turn. We're going to have to go through it a little bit, and we are. But faith in the plan and the vision, and I think setting that foundation will help us down the road at some point.
Q. Any word on Geno?
WES UNSELD JR.: I don't have a clinical diagnosis. He's being looked at right now.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports