Wizards star Bradley Beal (day-to-day) with left hamstring soreness

On Tuesday, Bradley Beal injured his left hamstring with 4:17 remaining in the Washington Wizards’ 116-111 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. In the coming days, it is unknown whether the three-time All-Star will attempt to play through his injury. He is listed day-to-day on the injury report.

In early December, Beal missed six consecutive games due to a right hamstring strain. And the guard has missed a total of 12 games this season. Through 23 starts, he’s averaging 23.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.0 steal per game. The 11-year veteran is also shooting 34.3% from 3-point range and a career-best 52.7% from the field.

According to a number of NBA betting sites, the Wizards possess the sixth-lowest odds to win the championship in 2023. Sportsbooks are not anticipating a playoff appearance this season.

Bradley Beal, who exited the game with 4:17 remaining in the fourth quarter, has left hamstring soreness, Wes Unseld Jr. said. The severity of the injury is unclear at this moment, and the injury will be evaluated, Unseld said.

— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) December 28, 2022

Beal ended his night with 19 points, one board, five assists, and two blocks in 30 minutes of action. He finished 8-of-15 (53.3%) shooting from the floor and 3-of-5 (60%) beyond the arc.

After earning this win, the Wizards are 14-21 and rank 12th in the Eastern Conference standings. “We talked about it as a group — we’ve got to make up some ground,” Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said prior to Tuesday night’s game against the Sixers. “There’s got to be a sense of urgency as far as how we play.”

Wizards star Bradley Beal (day-to-day) with left hamstring soreness after a 116-111 win over the 76ers

Despite Joel Embiid’s 48 points and James Harden scoring 26 points for Philadelphia, the Wizards prevailed, snapping the Sixers’ eight-game win streak. Washington outscored them 35-26 in the second quarter.

In addition to having a 16-point lead, the Wizards shot 33.3% outside the arc. This was a bad night on defense for the 76ers. “The biggest issue for me tonight was the turnovers,” Unseld added. Of course, Washington finished with 18 turnovers.

Scoring efficiency for the 50 most frequent drivers to the basket, per @SecondSpectrum:

Top 5
1. Kevin Durant
2. Luka Doncic
3. DeMar DeRozan
4. Donovan Mitchell
5. Bradley Beal

Bottom 5
46. Terry Rozier
47. Keldon Johnson
48. Tre Jones
49. Dejounte Murray
50. TJ McConnell pic.twitter.com/EbC0SBEVdz

— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) December 28, 2022

“It’s an area that we talked about pregame — we’ve been pretty good the last four to five games. They do a good job. They’re handsy, they’re physical.”

Last season, Washington went 17-23 with Beal and 18-24 without him. If the 29-year-old misses a couple more games, Delon Wright, Kristaps Porzingis, and Kyle Kuzma will have to take over. This is just business as usual.

On Nov. 28, in the Wizards’ 142-127 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Porzingis scored a career-high 41 points. Kuzma is averaging a career-best 21.6 points per game. It’s not like Washington is much worse without Bradley Beal.