The Sixers dropped to 5-7 away from Philadelphia - where they are 10-0 this season - despite 33 points from Tobias Harris, 26 points and a season-best 21 rebounds from Embiid, and 17 points and 10 assists from Simmons.

Facing one of the most lax defences in the NBA, Embiid had eight turnovers and Simmons seven. The 76ers ended up with 21 in all, leading to 30 points for the Wizards, who had lost five of their past six games entering the night.

Bradley Beal had 26 points and 10 rebounds for Washington.

Rookie Rui Hachimura scored 27, while Davis Bertans scored 19 of his season-high 25 points in the second quarter.

The 76ers have lost 10 games in a row at Washington - their last victory in the nation's capital was on November 1, 2013.

Raul Neto hit 3s on consecutive trips down the court to put the Sixers ahead 33-22 late in the first quarter. Bertans took over in the second, though, scoring 12 points in a row for Washington in one stretch and sparking a 16-2 run.

In the first half, Bertans shot eight for eight overall, six for six on 3s and totalled 22 points.

The hosts stretched their edge to 75-61 midway through the third quarter and were up 91-81 entering the fourth.

Wizards coach Scott Brooks came to the defence of Simmons, who is often criticised for not shooting 3s.

"What's crazy is, you hear about the, really, one thing that he can't do. And it's crazy that he gets criticised because he doesn't shoot 3s. But if you don't have to shoot 3s?

"Why do you need to shoot 3s if you get to the paint with ease and you have the strength and you can rebound, you can pass, you can finish with either hand."

In New York, the Denver Nuggets posted a 129-92 win over the Knicks to snap a two-game losing streak.

The Houston Rockets scored a 119-109 win on the road against the Toronto Raptors while the Suns needed overtime to overcome the Pelicans 139-132.

Australian Associated Press