Behind the best scoring night of Paul George’s Sixers tenure, the Philadelphia 76ers beat the woeful Washington Wizards to pick up their 42nd win of the season. George finished with 39 points on 15-22 shooting on the night, besting his previous Sixers high of 36.

The Sixers, playing without Joel Embiid due to an illness, came out of the gate with a dreadful defensive performance in the first half, allowing the 17-59 Wizards to drop 71 points before intermission. But thanks to George’s brilliance, a strong performance by Tyrese Maxey (28 points, 9 assists), a nice bounce-back game from VJ Edgecombe (23 points, 10 assists), and some excellent perimeter shooting, the Sixers were able to create separation with a 47 point third quarter.

With the win the Sixers improved to 42-34 on the season, bringing them, at least temporarily, to within a half game of the Toronto Raptors in the race for the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference.