John Wall

WASHINGTON - You can call them unlucky, you can call them cursed, or you can call them snake-bitten. You can blame supernatural happenings - such as a reserve hitting a three-pointer to force overtime - but there was also plenty of concrete evidence why the 76ers lost, 116-115, in overtime to the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night at the Verizon Center. The most compelling evidence comes in the form of the Wizards' 6-foot-4 rookie point guard, John Wall, who finished the game with 29 points, 13 assists, and 9 steals.

WASHINGTON - Donovan McNabb was benched in the final minutes of his team's game because his coach basically said a lifetime backup had a better chance of winning the game than McNabb, a 12-year pro with six Pro Bowl appearances. That, folks, is not even close to being the hot topic of sports discussion in the nation's capital, however. Donovan, you're not in Philly anymore. All the hype - and it is blatantly evident as you walk the historic downtown streets amid No. 2 Wizard jerseys - is John Wall.

Say this for Evan Turner, he's self-assured. So far, the 76er hasn't had the impact expected as the second overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft. Despite that, Turner said that he'll be a Sixer next season even though his name has come up before in trade rumors. "Not to be arrogant or cocky, but my name comes up, I believe, because of trade value in that situation," Turner said. "Regardless of whether I get heat for certain situations or certain bad nights and stuff, I still think I'm a valuable player in this league.

1. John Wall (Kentucky)    2. Evan Turner (Ohio State)    3. Derrick Favors (Georgia Tech)    4. DeMarcus Cousins (Kentucky) 5. Wesley Johnson (Syracuse)    6. Someone else

CHICAGO - Derrick Favors has a message for the 76ers. "I'm going to bring my best every night," the Georgia Tech power forward said here at the NBA Draft Combine. "I'm going to work hard in practice and play hard every game. " One would assume that the 6-foot-10, 245-pounder's sales pitch to move up in the draft is a waste of time. But is it, really? Sixers president and general manager Ed Stefanski said using the second overall pick on Ohio State swingman Evan Turner in next month's NBA draft is not a lock.

FOUR SUMMERS ago, a skinny 16-year-old from North Carolina arrived at Philadelphia University, hoping one of the big-name college coaches there for Reebok U might notice him. He had just gone through what was essentially a tryout camp in Chicago just to get an invitation to one of the elite camps in America, where high school stars like Brandon Jennings and Renardo Sidney were waiting and did not need to be introduced to anybody. "We found out the last minute," John Wall said last evening at Philly U. He arrived that night with his AAU coach and a friend after an 8-hour drive from Raleigh.

Celts' home jinx Having won the first two, the Boston Celtics are back home to play the Orlando Magic for Game 3 on Saturday, but that's not necessarily a good thing. The Celtics were one of only two NBA teams with a better record on the road than at home this season. 'Overzealous' staffer There it was on Facebook for all to see: the Washington Wizards telling the world they will draft John Wall with the No. 1 pick. Myron Goodman made the posting Friday on a Facebook page for University of Kentucky alumni.

New 76ers coach Doug Collins added Quin Snyder to his coaching staff in a developmental role. The last three seasons, the 43-year-old Snyder was the head coach of the Austin Toros, which is the NBA Developmental League team of the San Antonio Spurs. Previously, Snyder spent seven seasons as the head coach at Missouri, ending in 2006. Top prospects visit. The Sixers next week will bring in four of the players who are expected to be among the first five to go in the June 24 NBA draft.

Deron Williams had 32 points and six assists to lead the Brooklyn Nets to a 105-96 win Saturday night over the visiting Charlotte Bobcats. Brook Lopez added 19 points and backup Andray Blatche had 16 as the Nets completed a four-game sweep of the NBA-worst Bobcats. The win strengthened Brooklyn's hold on fourth place in the Eastern Conference, moving them 11/2 games ahead of Chicago. Ben Gordon scored 27 points and Gerald Henderson had 22 for the Bobcats.   Wizards run down Pacers   John Wall scored 37 points in a display of speed and flair to lead the host Washington Wizards to a 104-85 win over the Indiana Pacers.

Former Villanova coach Rollie Massimino, who led the Wildcats to the national championship in 1985, and former U.S. congressman Tom McMillen headline the 2013 class that will be inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame. Massimino spent 30 years coaching Stony Brook, Villanova, UNLV, and Cleveland State. McMillen starred for Maryland in the 1970s before serving in Congress from 1987-93. Joining them will be ex-Purdue coach Gene Keady, George Ravling of Nike, Bob Hopkins of Grambling, George Killian of FIBA, and the 1963 NCAA championship team from Loyola of Chicago.

Say this for Evan Turner, he's self-assured. So far, the 76er hasn't had the impact expected as the second overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft. Despite that, Turner said that he'll be a Sixer next season even though his name has come up before in trade rumors. "Not to be arrogant or cocky, but my name comes up, I believe, because of trade value in that situation," Turner said. "Regardless of whether I get heat for certain situations or certain bad nights and stuff, I still think I'm a valuable player in this league.

WASHINGTON - While 76ers coach Doug Collins has not addressed a column in Thursday's Inquirer that indicated ownership wants him to resign, there are others in front offices around the league that are willing to talk about it. Such was the case Friday when an Atlantic Division general manager, speaking anonymously, addressed the situation. "Doug has gotten them to the playoffs in the last two seasons, so he's got that going for him," the general manager said. "Everyone knows he's an excellent coach.

The New York Knicks romped to their first Atlantic Division title since 1994, getting 36 points from Carmelo Anthony and beating the visiting Washington Wizards, 120-99, Tuesday night for their 13th straight victory. John Wall scored 33 points for the Wizards. Elsewhere: The host Miami Heat, without injured Dwyane Wade or ailing Chris Bosh, saw LeBron James score 28 points in 30 minutes and Udonis Haslem add 10 points and 15 rebounds in a 94-83 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Deron Williams had 32 points and six assists to lead the Brooklyn Nets to a 105-96 win Saturday night over the visiting Charlotte Bobcats. Brook Lopez added 19 points and backup Andray Blatche had 16 as the Nets completed a four-game sweep of the NBA-worst Bobcats. The win strengthened Brooklyn's hold on fourth place in the Eastern Conference, moving them 11/2 games ahead of Chicago. Ben Gordon scored 27 points and Gerald Henderson had 22 for the Bobcats.   Wizards run down Pacers   John Wall scored 37 points in a display of speed and flair to lead the host Washington Wizards to a 104-85 win over the Indiana Pacers.

Former Villanova coach Rollie Massimino, who led the Wildcats to the national championship in 1985, and former U.S. congressman Tom McMillen headline the 2013 class that will be inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame. Massimino spent 30 years coaching Stony Brook, Villanova, UNLV, and Cleveland State. McMillen starred for Maryland in the 1970s before serving in Congress from 1987-93. Joining them will be ex-Purdue coach Gene Keady, George Ravling of Nike, Bob Hopkins of Grambling, George Killian of FIBA, and the 1963 NCAA championship team from Loyola of Chicago.

LeBron James left one rebound shy of a triple-double. That's about all the Heat could complain about. James finished with 24 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds, and the Heat won their 27th straight by running away at the finish to beat the Magic, 108-94, on Monday night in Orlando, Fla. Miami pushed its lead to 20 before Heat coach Erik Spoelstra emptied the bench in what was his 250th win with the team. The Heat are within six games of matching the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers for the longest winning streak in NBA history.

The Boston Celtics had six players in double figures to beat the Charlotte Bobcats, 105-88, Saturday night for their 11th straight win at home. Kevin Garnett sat out with a strained left thigh muscle, but the Celtics had more than enough to down the Bobcats for the first time in three meetings this season. Avery Bradley scored 13 and Courtney Lee had 12 points and five assists, and Paul Pierce had 14 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds before sitting out the fourth quarter. Two of the Bobcats' NBA-low 14 wins came against the Celtics, including a 100-74 blowout in Charlotte on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON - Considering how dreadful the Washington Wizards have been over the last several seasons, the Verizon Center seems like a strange place for the Sixers to be snakebitten. But during the 2010-11 season, the Sixers were burned twice in the same month on late-game oddities that led to losses against the Wizards. On Nov. 2, 2010, Wizards journeyman Cartier Martin drained a 26-footer at the end of regulation to send the game into overtime. Led by then-Wizards rookie John Wall, the No. 1 overall pick who had 29 points, 13 assists and nine steals, the Wiz won in overtime.

WASHINGTON - The 76ers have missed Andrew Bynum all season, and it shows how critical the loss of one player can be for an NBA team. Especially one who is considered a major difference maker. John Wall, the Washington Wizards point guard, demonstrated this fact on Sunday night. Wall shredded the Sixers down the stretch and led the Wizards to a 90-87 win at the Verizon Center. Wall scored the Wizards' final six points. With Washington trailing by 87-84, he hit a jumper with 1 minute, 33 seconds left.

Chris Paul scored 29 points and Jamal Crawford added 23 to lead the Los Angeles Clippers over the host Indiana Pacers, 99-91, Thursday night. David West's 22 points led five players in double figures for Indiana. The Clippers held a 49-47 lead at halftime, and extended the advantage to 76-69 after three quarters. The Clippers have now won three straight. Wall 'in a funk' Washington Wizards forward Chris Singleton said John Wall is "in a funk right now. " The Wizards' franchise player hasn't been shooting well and has been turning the ball over at an alarming rate over the last few games.