WASHINGTON — The Sixers briefly formed a mini-mosh pit around Adem Bona on Tuesday night.
Joel Embiid greeted him with an ecstatic chest bump. Bona had to weave through a sea of bodies to reach the bench.
He’d just given the Sixers their first lead of overtime, flushing in Tyrese Maxey’s missed floater with 27.6 seconds on the clock. The Sixers had overcome a 19-point deficit in regulation against the Wizards, a five-point deficit in the extra session. And, as Bona reminded his teammates, they were not 4-0 quite yet.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” he said in the visitors’ locker room at Capital One Arena. “At that point the game wasn’t over with, so I was like, ‘Let’s go, let’s go! … We’ve got more to play!’ It was an exciting feeling. And also, to bring the energy to the whole gym and see the whole team jump off the bench, it’s just amazing.”
Many Sixers merit a hat tip for gritty crunch-time contributions on the second evening of a home-road back-to-back. Maxey, who’s played at least 41 minutes in every game so far, posted 39 points and 10 assists. Quentin Grimes tallied 23 points, played great late-game defense and sunk vital shots. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse used 11 players.
Bona’s five-block, one-slam night was the kind that players remember at the end of a long career.
The 22-year-old big man’s shot blocking production is exceptional in a modest NBA sample size. He flies around the rim and has patches in which he seems to swat everything. Bona played only 17 minutes and 31 seconds Tuesday and his first block came with a little under seven minutes left in the fourth quarter. Nurse had joked that Bona blocked “17” shots in the opening leg of the back-to-back vs. the Magic.
As a rookie, Bona recorded 2.7 rejections per 36 minutes. Four games into Year 2, he’s fourth in the NBA in total blocks (nine) and fifth in blocks per game (2.3).
“For whatever reason tonight, he saved it all ’til the end,” Nurse said. “I don’t know how many he had in a row down the stretch there. It seems like more than five, doesn’t it? Or five in a row or something like that.
“But he protected the rim on every drive late. That’s good. I didn’t see much energy out of him in his first stint. Just kind of running up and down. Still a young player … but if he’s energetic, he can go get ‘em. He’s got good timing.”
Bona closed the game because Embiid remained on a minutes restriction — 23 in D.C. — that he described as “extremely annoying.”
He was still happy to watch Bona’s defensive show. During the preseason, Embiid said he liked the idea of playing some alongside Bona largely because the UCLA product’s game is built around “the dirty work.”
“I told him he’s the best defender in the league,” Embiid said with a smile. “Well, second best behind (Victor Wembanyama). But he’s great.”
Embiid also enjoyed hearing Maxey receive “MVP” chants from Sixers fans for the second straight night.
“Amazing, but you’ve got to make the free throws,” he said, grinning. “He’s been a little shaky at the line, especially when they start chanting. But it’s good. That’s just the fans recognizing what you’re doing, and that’s amazing to see.
“That just shows you how much work that he’s been putting in. And he’s doing it every night. I’m just excited. … Hopefully, these guys give me more minutes so I can help.”
Maxey shared his postgame media session with old friend Trendon Watford, who returned from left hamstring tightness and played 18 minutes in a winning Sixers debut.
“Big-time Bona,” Watford said. “Big-time Bona. That’s what he (does).”
“Bona fide,” Maxey chimed in.
The Sixers will rest Wednesday as the top team in the Eastern Conference.
Three of their wins have featured fourth-quarter comebacks. They’ve required a blend of brilliant shotmaking, outstanding defense in the clutch and surprising role player cameos.
“We never quit,” Embiid said. “That’s the mentality that everybody has, no matter who’s playing or not. We’ve been doing a good job. Just keep it going.”
The Sixers didn’t hit four wins in their misery-filled 2024-25 season until Nov. 30. They’ll look for their fifth of this season on Halloween vs. the Celtics.
“I think that just shows the fight we have in us,” Bona said. “It shows the brotherhood we have in us, the bonding we did over the summer. Just looking back to last year … we’ve built a fighting spirit.”