The Philadelphia 76ers (14-20) confronted the Phoenix Suns (65-18) in a showdown of disappointing title hopefuls. Contemporary off a six-game street journey, the Sixers didn’t have Joel Embiid and misplaced 109-99.
The Suns dramatically modified their beginning 5, benching Bradley Beal within the hopes of sparking one thing, something, to get them again to their successful methods. The 76ers have had their very own cycles of latest lineups, beginning over after making a brand new lineup final sport as a result of Embiid’s sprained foot was performing up, sidelining him for tonight’s sport. It’s nothing main however it stored the large man out towards a gifted Phoenix squad.
Andre Drummond and Kyle Lowry had been additionally sidelined (together with Jared McCain and KJ Martin) whereas Kelly Oubre Jr. returned from a three-game absence. With out Embiid, Drummond and Martin, it was maybe the smallest the Sixers have been all season.
Maxey and PG retake management
The final time Tyrese Maxey and Paul George had the keys to the automotive with out Embiid, they crashed and burned within the Sixers’ brutal defeat by the hands of the Sacramento Kings. One in all them rose to the event, restoring some quantity of hope that he might thrive with out Embiid. One didn’t.
The Sixers jumped out to a lead because of some poor protection from the Suns. Failures to match up and over-helping led to a 10-0 Philly run. Clearing out a aspect of the ground and entering into two-man actions (largely pick-and-something with Guerschon Yabusele) resulted in some straightforward buckets and a 12-point lead. Maxey hit a pair of triples whereas George assisted Yabusele on a triple and made his personal jumper from the midrange.
The script stayed the identical for the Sixers: create area for stars to make all the things occur. Properly, imagine it or not, the identical outcomes spawned. George wasn’t precisely lighting up the nets, posting considered one of his worst capturing performances of a season that has had some sturdy contenders. It is beginning to get actually scary in all of the unsuitable methods. Maxey, no less than, created numerous threes via his playmaking and supplied stretches of constant scoring. He ended the night time with 31 factors and 10 assists whereas George had 13 factors on 5-18 capturing.
Kelly Oubre Jr. saved the Sixers from getting run out of the fitness center on the finish of the third quarter. He totaled 13 factors within the interval, together with 11 within the remaining two minutes, whereas Maxey and George had been respectively at 15 and 10 for the entire sport to that time. That’s a person who doesn’t like his former groups — and may go off on them due to their poor defenses.
As soon as Oubre hit the bench to relaxation firstly of the fourth quarter, the Sixers seemed misplaced. Maxey, George and Caleb Martin took turns getting bottled up by Phoenix’s protection, gifting their visitors an 11-1 run. The Suns shined on offense the remainder of the way in which whereas the Sixers merely made the loss much less lopsided.
New rotation by necessity
Out of necessity, the 76ers needed to flip to some of their youngest and most on-the-fringe gamers their roster has to supply.
Adem Bona appeared within the sport within the first quarter, serving as Yabusele’s backup. He compelled Jusuf Nurkic into some difficult passes, rebounded the heck out of the ball, blocked a Devin Booker layup and slammed a two-handed dunk dwelling off a move from Maxey in his first stint. He secured 5 rebounds in his first six minutes, although he additionally recorded a pair of fouls. Caleb Martin needed to play heart for a short stint within the third quarter after Bona performed a much less efficient stint.
With Lowry out, Jeff Dowtin Jr. was the brand new pairing for Reggie Jackson because the backup guard tandem. Jackson additionally acquired a couple of minutes to play alongside Maxey. Neither of them appeared within the second half whereas the alternative was true for Eric Gordon. None of them scored a single level.
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Justin Edwards as soon as once more made it into the sport earlier than Ricky Council IV, although C4 performed with him in the course of the second quarter. Edwards drilled his first shot of the sport — a triple off a move from Maxey — and performed essentially the most minutes off the bench at 13.
Though the frequent accidents have left the 76ers with new lineup combos time and time once more, it is one thing that each one NBA groups should cope with over the course of the season. It shouldn’t be an excuse for a way lackluster their offense continues to be with out Embiid. It’s January, so the pattern measurement of video games and schemes to try to not strive must be plentiful.
De-fense by de-fault
The Suns solely trailed by seven after a primary quarter the place Kevin Durant and Devin Booker mixed to shoot 1-8 from the sector. Their bench unit went on a run that acquired the sport again to a single level as Philly’s offense went chilly. Neither offense was really ever good for an extended stretch of time, they only took turns being much less horrible. Each squads had been dismal even from the foul line, under 70 p.c.
At halftime, the one scorers in double figures had been Yabusele and Oubre with 12 and 10 factors respectively. Appears to be like like these supposed “strolling buckets” with “All-Star picks” like KD, PG, Maxey and Booker might study a factor or two. That Booker man even triggered the Bricken for Rooster with a pair of missed free throws within the third quarter. That man won’t ever rating 70 factors in an NBA sport, mark my phrases.
The Sixers didn’t power as many turners because it normally does however they did benefit from them with breakaway buckets. Additionally they did an awesome job retaining Phoenix from looking mismatches by recognizing the makes an attempt — say, for instance, when Durant was making an attempt to get a post-up on Maxey on the nail — and switching away from the ball.
Within the third quarter, one of many groups lastly made it to the fashionable NBA.
A ten-0 run by the Suns earned them their first lead of the sport for the reason that opening minutes. They leaked out of defensive possessions ceaselessly, cashing in on straightforward photographs. Beal scored 12 factors within the interval, buoying his sturdy debut efficiency off the bench. Phoenix scored 36 factors within the third quarter.
Rookie ahead Oso Ighodaro was incredible for the Suns within the second half. Bouncy sufficient to attain and rebound on the rim and good sufficient to get the ball the place it wanted to be, he gave the Sixers protection suits as a screener/curler. The Suns’ stars had a straightforward time getting their photographs off with him smashing the scrambled Philly protection to items. The 76ers had been left looking for solutions on each ends and located nothing.
The 76ers will proceed their homestand towards the Washington Wizards on Wednesday.