WASHINGTON -- For the second night in a row it looked as if the 76ers were going to pull themselves off the floor and land a knockout punch.

They had done just that Saturday against a good Golden State team, digging themselves out of a 16-point deficit to win. On Sunday, they bridged the third and fourth quarters with a 27-14 run that turned a 10-point deficit against lowly Washington into an 87-84 lead. They were on the verge of winning two straight games.

Wishful thinking indeed.

The Sixers failed to score in the final two minutes of the game. Washington's John Wall scored the final six points, including a 20-foot jumper that sealed the Sixers' fate in a 90-87 decision Sunday night at the Verizon Center.

"Winning cures everything and losing makes everything worse," said Sixers center Spencer Hawes, who finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds. "We were up and we had a chance to win it. It's kind of how the season has been going. I know we are going to catch a break, I just hope it's sooner rather than later."

The Sixers (23-35) lost for the eighth time in their last nine games. The defeat dropped them 61/2 games behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

The loss was the Sixers' 10th in a row on the road, where they have not won since they beat the Lakers in Los Angeles on New Year's Day.

Their struggles away from the Wells Fargo Center can't be encouraging, either, when they consider that 15 of their final 24 games will be on the road.

Playing their second game in a row without the services of Nick Young (sprained left ankle), the Sixers placed five players in double figures, led by Dorell Wright's 15 points.

It was a bad night for the Sixers' offense in general. They made just 38.8 percent of their shots from the field. Jrue Holiday scored 14 points on 4-for-19 shooting and Evan Turner (4 for 13) scored 11.

Winners of eight of their last 12 games, the Wizards (19-39) were led by Wall and Martell Webster. Both players finished with 16 points for the Wizards, who began the season 0-12.

"We fought hard," Sixers coach Doug Collins said. "But that late turnover hurt."

With the Sixers up by three points, Turner was called for an offensive foul. That led to a Wall jumper that closed the Sixers' lead to 87-86 with 1 minute, 33 seconds left. After Holiday missed a jumper, Wall sank a pair of free throws to give Washington an 88-87 lead. Wall then blocked a Tuner shot on the Sixers' next possession, and closed out the scoring with a 20-foot jumper with 4.9 seconds to play.

The Sixers had one last chance to win the game, but Wright missed a three-point attempt from the corner.

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