Bradley Beal went on a scoring barrage Wednesday night against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Washington Wizards star guard dropped a career-high 60 points, tying Gilbert Arenas for the Wizards’ franchise-record for most points in a game.
Unfortunately, his career night came in a losing effort, as the Wizards fell to the 76ers 141-136.
Beal becomes the fifth player since 1990 to score 60 or more points in a loss, according to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports.
Beal scored 32 points in the first half. He then added 25 points in the third quarter, leading the Wizards’ rally from down 21 points. He had 57 points after three quarters, eclipsing his previous career-high of 55.
Washington ultimately took the lead in the fourth quarter at 122-119. However, fatigue and a lack of late-game execution took a toll on Beal.
He was held to just three points in the fourth quarter — a jumper from the corner and a late free throw with 4.4 seconds remaining. The 76ers outscored Washington 22-14 the final 7:24 of the game.
Beal finished the night 20-of-35 from the field, including 7-of-10 shooting from three. He made 13-of-15 free throws and added seven rebounds and five assists. Meanwhile, Russell Westbrook fell short of two rebounds for his fifth triple-double in six games. Westbrook had 19 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds before leaving the game with 26 seconds remaining with an apparent hand injury.
While Beal was truly the only Wizards player clicking offensively, the 76ers countered with six players scoring in double figures. That included 38 points from Joel Embiid and 28 from Seth Curry.
The Wizards fall to 2-6 on the season. Another scoring barrage by Beal and stat-sheet filler by Westbrook in a loss adds to the early season narrative of great stats not equating into wins.
