East Notes: Wizards, Kyle Kuzma, Sixers, Joel Embiid, Celtics

Wizards

The Wizards’ reserves outscored the Hornets by a whopping 72-23 count for a stunning road win on Wednesday.

“The bench was unbelievable,” Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. told reporters. “They have shown spurts for us in this young season. It’s comforting to know that you have guys who can come in and impact the game offensively and defensively and stem the tide and hold off runs.”

• Forward Kyle Kuzma wasn’t too bad himself, scoring 33. But even he credited the bench. “I have to give some credit to the bench, they played phenomenal tonight,” Kuzma said. “… Those guys were huge for us and they propelled us to a win.”

76ers

Don’t look now, but the Sixers have won six in a row. Their lone loss came in the opener, at Milwaukee, and they lost by a single point. So much for the James Harden drama.

“New coach, new systems, bunch of new guys, just trying to get everybody up to speed,” center Joel Embiid said. “Let’s see what we can do.”

Celtics

In the loss to Philadelphia, big man Kristaps Porzingis missed a 3-pointer in the final seconds that could’ve tied it. Both teams entered the game 5-1.

“It was a really good look,” Porzingis told reporters. “As I went into the shot, I kind of went into it as it was a mid-range shot. I jumped a little higher. I usually don’t do that for 3s. I just shot it bad.”

• Boston allowed the Sixers to close the third quarter with a flurry, going up 81-71 entering the final 12 minutes. “Any time you’re playing against a great team, like (Tyrese Maxey) and Embiid, if you’re down 10, you’re down 15 to 18 because of their ability to make shots,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said.