The Phoenix Suns (31-21) hosted the Philadelphia 76ers (29-22) at Mortgage Matchup Center Saturday.
The Suns sat seventh in the Western Conference, while the 76ers sat sixth in the Eastern Conference.
The Suns were coming off a tough loss against the Golden State Warriors, while the 76ers had their five-game win streak snapped against the Los Angeles Lakers in their previous game.
The Suns were without Grayson Allen (knee), who was ruled out after a fall he had against the Warriors.
“It’ll be a reevaluation through the break,” Suns head coach Jordan Ott said regarding Allen. “He will be out.”
The big news was on Jalen Green (hip) and star player Devin Booker (ankle), as both were on Game-Time Decision.
Before the game, however, Ott confirmed that both players would play against the 76ers.
“Both available,” Ott said. “Everything looks good to go. Obviously, they have to go through the pregame but everything’s trending that way. Our group is excited to have those guys back. We feel their spirit. They want to be out there; they feel what this team is doing. That’s the exciting part; they want to be out there with their teammates.”
Booker led the team in assists and points, with 25.4 points per game and 6.2 assists per game entering tonight’s game.
“The swelling went down,” Ott said. “The mobility went up. He just cleared everything in his mind to go out and play.”
As for Green, this would be his sixth game this season after a hamstring injury saw him miss most of the season.
“It was just the soreness piece,” Ott said. “Now that the soreness is gone, he feels everything is ready to go.”
As for the 76ers, they were without Paul George (suspension), after George violated the NBA’s anti-drug policy.
The big news for Philadelphia was center Joel Embiid, who was on GTD with a knee injury.
Embiid, the 2021 NBA MVP, was averaging 26.4 PPG entering the game, and would be a key factor for the 76ers.
“We need him in the rotation,” 76ers head coach Nick Nurse said regarding Embiid. “It’s still super early, stay healthy, and get in better shape. He can get to the front of the rim and score a little bit.”
Even then, Philadelphia also had point guard Tyrese Maxey, who led the team in assists, with 28.8 PPG and 6.9 APG.
“We know he can go both places,” Ott said regarding Maxey. “How he plays, the positions he plays in, over time and then obviously the two-man game with Maxey. When we played them in Philadelphia, without him, it looks a lot different than what it does when he’s there.”
If Embiid were to not play, that could open the floor for guys such as Mark Williams or Oso Ighodaro.
Williams led the team in rebounds with 8.1 rebounds per game.
Even then, the 76ers had another center in Andre Drummond, who led the team in rebounds with 8.8 RPG.
Before the game, Embiid was cleared to play, meaning Philadelphia had gotten a key factor.
Even then, the 76ers still had to focus on the likes of Booker and Green despite the limited minutes.
Even then, Dillon Brooks was averaging 21 PPG for Phoenix, adding another layer that the 76ers had to watch out for.
Entering the second quarter, the 76ers led 24-22.
Despite that, the deficit could’ve been bigger as the Suns were not shooting well from beyond the arc, as the team went 1-for-13 from downtown.
“We started 1-of-18,” Ott said. “I thought the ones early were incredibly good looks, a lot of them are catch-and-shoot, from our best shooters. That’s what the looks were. But we got to get to the rim. The rim is still more valuable.”
Embiid and Maxey led the way for the 76ers, as both had eight points, with Embiid having five rebounds, on track for a double-double.
As for the Suns, it was Green who had the most points coming off the bench, as he had six points, followed by Williams with five points.
“The first step is to get there,” Ott said regarding Green. “He appeared to feel pretty good. Again, we gave it a couple more days due to the hamstring, so, that’s what it is. He’s just got to continue to climb, continue to work. It was great to see him out there.”
The 76ers came out hot early in the second, going on a 14-2 run, giving them a double-digit lead.
Entering the second half, the 76ers had a 58-47 lead.
Embiid led the way with 17 points, while Maxey followed with 14 points.
“This is a team that we really want to run,” Ott said. “We have to run teams. Especially when Joel is down there at the block, takes a shot, or Maxey takes a shot at the rim, we really want to move it to get up the court as fast as possible. We have to find the energy.”
As for the Suns, Brooks led the way with 11 points, while Booker and Williams followed with seven points, with Williams having six rebounds.
In the middle of the third quarter, Kelly Oubre Jr. fouled Brooks, before the two exchanged words at mid-court.
Brooks also took this time to matchup against Embiid, who had gone to the line nine times with many Suns players complaining about some of the calls.
“Just a cross match in general,” Ott said. “Dillon (Brooks) will take any matchup; that’s a tough one. Just giving away so much size overall, but he held his own. This is something we’re going to continue to add to our group, defensive packages, and our schemes.”
Entering the fourth quarter, Philadelphia held a 10-point lead.
Brooks led the way with 17 points, with Booker and Williams trailing, as both players had 10 points.
Williams completed his double-double, with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Embiid had 26 points, while Maxey and Oubre Jr. followed with 16 points.
Embiid also had nine rebounds, one away from a double-double.
Regardless, Phoenix was looking to mount a comeback, while Philadelphia was looking to preserve their lead.
With ten minutes left, Philadelphia looked to finish the game, as the 76ers led 85-71.
However, with just one minute left, Phoenix was only down four.
“This team just plays super hard,” Ott said. “Never quit, when you don’t see the ball go in for an extended period of time, I think it’s incredibly hard to play. These guys continue to fight.”
Despite their best efforts, the Suns couldn’t make the comeback, as the 76ers won 109-103.
“We tried everything,” Ott said. “Adjustments, lineups, just another night where we went out, tried to do the best we could and some nights it just doesn’t go in.”
Brooks finished with 28 points, while Booker followed with 21 points.
“Credit to them,” Ott said regarding Booker and Green. “You go through this whole season, your two games, three games away from the All-Star Break and those guys wanna come back. That’s not everywhere.”
Embiid failed to get his double-double, but finished with a strong 33 points, while Maxey followed with 29 points.
The Suns went 11-for-46 when shooting from downtown, and in a game that finished just six points apart, that was the key difference.
“We love threes, but we love getting to the rim too,” Ott said. “Thought the quality of the looks were good. You always want to get to the rim. We have really good shooting, some of that goes back and forth, so we have to continue find ways to get to the rim.”
Phoenix falls to 31-22 while the 76ers jump to 30-22.
The Suns will host the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday at Mortgage Matchup Center.