The Philadelphia 76ers are at home to take on the visiting Phoenix Suns on the second leg of a back-to-back set Tuesday night. The Sixers are coming off a 113-104 home win over the Pacers on Monday night, while the Suns beat the Nets, 126-117, in Brooklyn last night.
Who: Phoenix Suns (26-17) at Philadelphia 76ers (23-18)
When: 7:00 p.m. EST
Where: XFinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, Pa.
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBA League Pass
After 30 points, nine rebounds, and four assists in 33 minutes against the Pacers, Joel Embiid will miss the Suns game, while Paul George is listed as questionable, so the Sixers coach, Nick Nurse, will have to get creative to take on a surprising Suns team. Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe will have to have really good games to get the Sixers rolling to a second straight victory.
The Sixers, as a whole, don't have many great three-point shooters, yet they find themselves in long-distance shootouts with other teams, which hasn't worked out well for the team. While Tyrese Maxey, over his last ten games, is shooting 41.5% on his threes, and VJ Edgecombe is shooting 38. 3% over the same period, Quentin Grimes is hitting only 36.7%. With Jared McCain in some sort of limbo in the lineup, Grimes has to start hitting more efficiently if the team is going to succeed.
One thing the Sixers did very well against the Pacers, which could help them form some identity in the scheme, is the 26-point difference in their points in the paint. With good penetration from the whole team, as well as Embiid and Edgecombe combining on some nice pick-and-rolls, the team may have found something that can help them against more mobile or bigger teams. Continuing to work in transition and moving the ball will be a key for the team as they don't have a large lineup to put on the floor.
The Suns, much to almost everyone's surprise, are sitting at the seventh seed in the Western Conference, after moving on from Kevin Durant in the offseason. With Dillon Brooks having a large role with the team and tonight's return of Jalen Green, the team will have its two biggest pieces of the Durant deal available for tonight's game.
Devin Booker, once thought to be on his way out of Phoenix last season, has taken back the team as his own, with Brooks operating as his main sidekick. Booker and Brooks are combining for 46.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game, despite neither being a very good three-point shooter. The addition of Green, who's missed 33 games this season, should help the Suns both in shooting and transition.
While the Suns were largely overlooked and have outperformed expectations, they still have limitations: ranking just 22nd in points per game (114.7) and 11th in three-point shooting. Where the Suns have found their niche is that they're one of the top defensive teams in the league, and the attitude you get with someone like Brooks has made its way through the whole team with hustle and energy.
The Sixers have been excelling this year, with Tyrese Maxey recently named an All-Star starter for the first time in his career, VJ Edgecombe playing among the top rookies in the league, and the return of Joel Embiid to the closest he's been to his MVP form in years. The problem is that they tend to play to the other team and not dictate how they want the game to go.
After a rough week, things looked like they were coming together for the team as the losses and mistakes caught up with everyone, resulting in some sideline antics and a few losses. After the Pacers game, things look like they're back to normal, and the team can focus on moving forward, gaining momentum for the end of the season, and continuing to grow into the new form that Nurse has devised for them. While the season has had its ups and downs, the second half is looking more exciting as the team is as healthy as they're going to be and learning to work together.
Without Embiid, combined with the high-scoring Suns offense, the Sixers will have their hands full, but Maxey and Edgecombe seem to thrive in these types of environments as they both feed off high energy. Look for the duo to outshine the Brooks, Booker, and Green trio as they move past the Suns.
Sixers 119 - Suns 114
