The Philadelphia 76ers (38-31) faced the Phoenix Suns (40-29) to begin their final West Coast swing of the season. The Sixers flopped in the second half and lost 115-102 after keeping it together for much of the first half.
Let’s break down the Sixers' loss.
76ers player notes:
Tyrese Maxey: 6 points, 0 rebounds, 7 assists, 3-13 FG shooting
The importance of maintaining an identity without Joel Embiid is not lost on Maxey. He's growing accustomed to the minutes Embiid usually plays (including the whole first and third quarters with bench players sprinkling in as time winds down). There are bound to be bumps in the road, though, and this was one of them.
Maxey struggled immensely to score against the Suns, who showed him multiple defenders frequently. The aggression didn’t scare him from trying to penetrate the defense but he just didn’t have a high-octane performance in store tonight. He didn’t draw a single free throw and came up totally empty from deep.
Kelly Oubre Jr.: 18 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks, 7-20 FG shooting
Oubre's impact may vary from game to game but his hustle and energy never do. His playmaking and defensive playmaking have really popped as of late. His scoring at the rim in this one wasn’t great, as the Suns' long-armed defenders stifled him.
Suns player notes:
Devin Booker: 18 points, 9 rebounds, 11 assists, 2 steals, 7-15 FG shooting
Booker set a new career-high on offensive boards thanks mostly to the Sixers' disinterest in boxing out. What really stood out was how much he could gash the perimeter defense and set up his teammates for open looks. He came up just shy of a triple-double and was very tough to deal with all night long.
Kevin Durant: 22 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks, 10-18 FG shooting
Durant passed Shaquille O'Neal for eighth on the all-time scoring list, displaying his unfair height advantage and feathery shooting stroke. His defense was key for Phoenix, too.
Game recap:
Empowered by a very solid win against a legitimate playoff foe, the 76ers hit the road with matchups scheduled against Western Conference teams firmly in the playoff picture. The Suns have the makings of a paper dragon, hovering in play-in territory despite two superstars and supposedly one of the best third options in the league. But they're still quite good, especially at home.
Tobias Harris was once again out, making it his first time missing three consecutive games since November of 2021.
1st half
Former Sun Kelly Oubre Jr. started off on Booker while Nico Batum took Durant. Oubre instantly wanted to show up his former squad and came up empty at the rim at first but then threw down an open, easy two-handed dunk. He also got a short and-one jumper to fall. The Suns kept driving and kicking and stepping into open shots after getting offensive rebounds but they came up empty on their first nine shot attempts. Phoenix compiled seven offensive rebounds in the first six minutes, with every starter but Durant getting at least one.
Oubre kept it going with a putback dunk over Jusuf Nurkic as Paul Reed subbed in for Bamba. KJ Martin was also an early sub as the Sixers tried to get some more springy athleticism on the floor. The Suns kept the ball on a string, making the Sixers pay for overpursuing on defense, and took the lead. Former Sun Cam Payne checked in and scored to tie the game and then put Philly back ahead. A lob to Martin from Reed on the short roll helped Philly take a two-point lead after the opening 12 minutes.
The 76ers could hardly buy a three-pointer as the game settled into a low-scoring affair. Bol Bol provided eight points off the bench while Payne raced out to 10 quick points. Nurkic's size in the paint gave the Sixers problems despite Bamba being in the game, a glaring sign of how rough things are for them at center. While Bamba's large catch radius proved to be helpful off of a short lob from Oubre, his (lack of) presence as a rim protector leaves the team worryingly exposed.
The Suns' shots eventually started falling, resulting in an 18-6 run over roughly four minutes. Maxey was shooting poorly, which can’t be chalked up entirely to the Suns' blitzes and hedges. Booker, meanwhile, was generating a ton of offense for his whole team and increasing Phoenix's lead. His playmaking was on point, following the lead from his splendid scoring bag. Nick Nurse was hit with a technical foul.
At halftime, the 76ers trailed 60-47 and allowed the Suns to shoot 10-20 from deep.
2nd half
Maxey side-stepped into a middie and assisted Bamba for three at the start of the third quarter. The Sixers had no shot of beating the Suns if their star wasn’t at least solid. But the Suns' offense was getting all the shots it wanted, which negated any groove Maxey might have been finding.
The Suns threw the ball away a bunch, failing to be on the same page and giving the Sixers plenty of easy outs. The lead dwindled to nine but then Maxey was subbed out in favor of Buddy Hield. In the blink of an eye, with Phoenix able to reset its defense to a more simple coverage without the opposing star to worry about, they bumped the lead up to a game-high 17. Maxey may have been shooting poorly but Hield was no better (and is less impactful on defense).
Maxey came back in right away but it hardly mattered. The Suns' lead ascended into the 20s as the Sixers came up empty on several possessions. They got denied on tries in the paint and their jumpers were off-target. Phoenix's defense blocked shots and forced turnovers. Even the Sixers' free-throw shooting was abysmal, as they made just five of their first 13 attempts from the line. Philly faced a 24-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter.
Ricky Council IV and Jeff Dowtin Jr. started the fourth quarter, making their first appearances after getting three DNP-CDs. Both of them took advantage. Among several plays, Council drained a deep triple and threw down a reverse dunk and Dowtin forced Durant to turn the ball over and showed a mature sense of poise in his own scoring, draining his first four shots. They managed to cut the deficit down to 11, though the free-throw woes didn’t go anywhere.
As Grayson Allen launched threes in search of his first-ever game with 10 threes, the Suns didn’t buckle under the 76ers' run in garbage time. Allen came up short before Phoenix emptied its bench. Isaiah Thomas made his first appearance of the NBA season in his second stint with the Suns. Council managed to talk some trash with KD before the game ended.
Assorted observations:
- Nurse used everyone's favorite two words in the injury recovery process in regard to Embiid: ramp up. He's still got plenty of progress to make but it's a good sign that his progress seems steady.
- Dowtin's jumper has an unusual follow-through where his feet and shoulders go opposite directions but it works. His mechanics are smooth and repeatable, which is what matters the most.
The 76ers' next stop on their road trip is Hollywood. They face the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday.
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