Coming off a victory over Pascal Siakam and the Indiana Pacers, the Sixers stuck around in Philadelphia for a matchup against Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns.
Despite missing Joel Embiid and Paul George in this matchup, the Sixers did well to come out of the gates aggressively, scoring 30 points in the first quarter. Perhaps, they went a bit too far, sending the Suns to the line 11 times in the first quarter, allowing them to hang around, down by three after the first quarter.
The Suns did well to face guard Sixers star Tyrese Maxey, forcing the Philadelphia to look away from their young All-Star, who struggled to find his shot throughout this game.
After opening up this most recent homestand with shooting struggles against the Cavaliers in back-to-back matchups, Maxey seemed to put shooting struggles behind him against Indiana, but returned to earth in this matchup, making just seven of 25 shots on the night.
Maxey's struggles are certainly worth highlighting, but were only a part of the story.
Once again, the Sixers struggled in the third quarter, not just to defend, but they specifically struggled to prevent the Suns from taking and making a barrage of three pointers in the quarter.
Philadelphia held the Suns without a three-pointer made in their first seven attempts and to 4-13 from deep by the half, but in the third quarter, Phoenix caught fire, hitting 7-13 in the quarter, which they took by nine points.
The Sixers would fight back in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Suns by seven points, holding them to 19, but the damage was already done. The Suns' explosive third quarter had put them up by 13 after three, and the hole was simply too big for the Sixers to dig themselves out of.
Game, Phoenix—116-110.
The Sixers will once again take their home court Thursday night as they face the Houston Rockets. Featuring Kevin Durant, Alperen Segun, and Amen Thompson, the Rockets will be no easy task, and the Sixers will certainly hope that Joel Embiid and Paul George will be able to return by then.
Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. Thursday night.
