The Philadelphia 76ers continued the five-game road trip with a matchup against the Phoenix Suns on Saturday. Both the Sixers and Suns were looking to bounce back after losses in which they led by double digits in the second half.
Philadelphia led by as many as 14 points in the third quarter of their last outing until they took their foot off the gas, allowing the Lakers to storm back. In their last contest, the Suns allowed a late 22-5 run to lose to the Golden State Warriors.
With Devin Booker returning to the lineup, the Suns were hungry to take the season series from the Sixers after getting a win in Philly in January.
The first quarter started out with a good pace for both teams, with Joel Embiid looking very spry in the first few minutes. Tyrese Maxey started slowly in the first quarter, continuing a theme for him over the last week or two. He started the game by hitting just one of his first five, and some were extremely off.
The Suns, who got some wide-open looks from three, missed 12 of their first 13 shots from beyond the arc in the first. That cold shooting allowed the Sixers to take a small lead into the second quarter.
Philadelphia started the second quarter with a lead of two, but a corner three and a highlight dunk from Kelly Oubre Jr. opened up the offensive flow. They started the quarter on an 18-6 run, making the Suns pay for their misses. They focused on attacking the glasses and taking advantage of opportunities in transition.
After a slow first quarter for Maxey, he got going in the second, hitting tough shots after tough shots. It appeared that a fan in the corner of the baseline contributed to Maxey going on a hot streak, trash-talking him after every shot attempt.
For the Suns, they shot a woeful 16 percent from three-point range in the first half, but Dillon Brooks was able to hit some buckets for the Suns to keep them within striking distance. The first half ended with the Sixers taking a 58-47 lead and Joel Embiid and Devin Booker exchanging some words with each other.
The energy that both teams took into the locker room at halftime continued in the third quarter as the game’s physicality elevated. There were some chippy plays early on from the Suns and continued through the quarter as Dillon Brooks started his nightly shenanigans. Brooks even got into it with Oubre Jr., trying his hardest to get into the Sixers’ head.
The final frame started with the Sixers trying to withstand the inevitable run from Phoenix, as Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks would be heard from on the offensive end.
Trendon Watford made his presence known all game for the Sixers. He only scored six points, but he grabbed seven rebounds, had two assists and helped lighten the ball-handling load for Maxey and Edgecombe. He also played some good defense in the fourth, spending time guarding both of the Suns’ leading scorers.
The team from Valley got as close as four points, but eventually the Philly closed them out with a 109-103 win. The Sixers were paced by Joel Embiid (33 points, nine rebounds, and three assists) and Tyrese Maxey (29 points, nine rebounds, and six assists). The Suns were led by Dillon Brooks (28 points) and Devin Booker (21 points and nine assists).
Philadelphia travels to Portland on Monday night to play the Trailblazers for the final game of their road trip. The game is set to tip off at 10 p.m. EST.
