PHILADELPHIA | The Philadelphia 76ers kept adding to their huge lead while the Washington Wizards were in the process of adding three new players.
The distraction stemming from the trade was evident on the court, especially during a woeful second half.
“When word got around, guys kind of lost their concentration,” Washington coach Flip Saunders said.
Jrue Holiday scored 20 points, Thaddeus Young had 18 points and 10 rebounds and Philadelphia beat the Wizards 117-94 on Wednesday night.
Elton Brand and Evan Turner added 15 points apiece for the Sixers (28-29), who eclipsed last season’s win total of 27. Marreese Speights had 14, Jodie Meeks finished with 12 and Andre Iguodala 10.
Philadelphia, which has won 11 of 15, improved to 18-9 at home.
“It was a big win for us,” Brand said. “We’re playing with a whole lot of confidence now.”
John Wall had 21 points and 12 assists for the Wizards, while Trevor Booker tied his career high with 21 points. Andray Blatche had 16 and Nick Young chipped in with 15.
Washington (15-41), one of the worst teams in the league, has lost three straight. With its season long gone, it made a trade during the game to stock up for the future.
The Wizards sent guard Kirk Hinrich and forward Hilton Armstrong to the Atlanta Hawks for guards Mike Bibby and Jordan Crawford, forward Maurice Evans and a 2011 first-round draft choice.
“It was a pretty tough thing to hear,” Wall said. “Kirk’s a veteran guy who taught me an awful lot about NBA basketball. I’ll really miss him. And Hilton was a good friend, too. I wish them both well.”
Hinrich and Armstrong were on the bench for the whole first half, but never came out of the locker room after halftime.
“I think when the deadline is over, guys will have a sense of relief,” Saunders said.
Meanwhile, Iguodala has been linked to a number of trade scenarios in recent weeks. The trade deadline is 3 p.m. ET on Thursday.
“I like our team,” Sixers president Rod Thorn said before the game. “Does that mean we wouldn’t do something if the opportunity presented itself? No, we’ll look at everything.”
Philadelphia carried a 54-49 lead into halftime and grabbed control in the third quarter. Young’s thunderous dunk with 3:50 left gave the Sixers a 78-60 lead.
Iguodala hit a 3-pointer during a 7-2 surge that gave Philadelphia a 95-66 lead in the fourth.
“I think it was a great thing to see us push forward in the second half,” Young said. “We’ve had too many games this season where we let teams back in it. We didn’t do that this time and I think it’s a sign of us maturing as a team.”
NOTES: The Sixers are 25-16 since starting the season 3-13. … Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell attended the game. … The Wizards fell to 1-27 on the road. … Speights hit a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter, his first of the season. He had been 0 for 3. … Booker scored 17 points in the fourth.
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