Some wins look pretty on the stat sheet, and then there are wins that forge a team’s identity. For the Philadelphia 76ers, Saturday night’s 109-103 victory over the Phoenix Suns was a masterclass in the latter. Coming off a stinging, emotional loss to the Lakers just two nights prior, the 76ers walked into the Footprint Center with something to prove and walked out having reminded the league just how dangerous their duo of Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey truly is.
While the Suns welcomed back their All-Star Devin Booker, it was the 76ers who dictated the tempo, relying on a dominant 33-point performance from Embiid and a clutch 29 points from Maxey to hold off a late Phoenix surge.
Embiid and Maxey Deliver in Crunch Time
The narrative for the 76ers this season has often centered on their resilience, and that was on full display in the fourth quarter. Philadelphia carried an 81-71 lead into the final frame, and for the first three minutes of the quarter, their defense was suffocating, holding the Suns scoreless and pushing the advantage to 16 points.
But in the NBA, no lead is ever truly safe against a team with elite shot-makers. The Suns, desperate to avoid a third loss in four games, clawed their way back. With just over a minute remaining, Booker sank two free throws to trim the deficit to a sweating-inducing 101-97. The Phoenix crowd erupted, sensing a collapse.