Collins kept warning his team that the Wizards were better than their now 2-15 record, but on this night at the Wells Fargo Center, it was difficult to tell.
"At shootaround, I wasn't sure where our guys were, especially with not having our two bigs," Collins said. "But our guys came out and - really - the first half was as well as we could play on both ends of the floor."
Jrue Holiday had 17 points and four assists. Elton Brand scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Andre Iguodala had seven points, seven rebounds, and 11 assists, and Jodie Meeks scored 15 points for the Sixers.
Jordan Crawford scored 17 off the bench for Washington.
Brand, sent home from the shootaround because he had a stomach ailment, felt good enough to start for the Sixers, and dominate - at least in the first quarter. He set the tone with 11 first-quarter points, shooting 5 for 7 from the field, as the Sixers jumped out to a 33-14 lead.
"I took it upon myself to really try to push the action a little bit," Brand said. "Shorthanded, we didn't want to get into a dogfight."
From the Wizards' standpoint, the game deteriorated even further after the first quarter.
The Sixers' lead grew to 62-32 at halftime - a season high for points in a half for them.
Tony Battie started at center and provided a workmanlike effort.
The Sixers (12-5) also used rookie Lavoy Allen from Temple and Brand at the center spot.
Allen scored 10 points and earned points with the fans by delivering free burgers. His 17-foot jump shot gave the Sixers a 101-81 lead. Fans receive free Big Macs when the Sixers score more than 100 points.
Allen is familiar with the promotion.
"I am expecting a couple of them to give me their tickets and go for a couple of Big Macs," he quipped.
The rookie, who hit all five field-goal attempts in a season-high 17 minutes, 26 seconds, then turned serious.
"The guys have been telling me all year long that whenever I get the opportunity, to go in there and show what I can do," Allen said.
Washington presents a sizable front line, but the concept of playing defense seems to have escaped the Wizards, especially against the Sixers.
The Sixers are 3-0 against Washington, having outscored the Wizards by 326-262.
"I was just worried about running into a buzz saw in here tonight," Collins said. "We never let them get started."
Contact staff writer Marc Narducci at mnarducci@phillynews.com, 856-779-3225, or @sjnard on Twitter.
