"It’s going to be like that some nights, and luckily we started to get some stops and made some big shots down the stretch to get separation."ĭeAndre Jordan had 19 points and 20 rebounds, helping the Clippers (40-26) to their fourth win in five games. Next up: The Suns will travel to Boston to face the Celtics on Thursday night, while the Sixers will head to Milwaukee to face the Bucks on Thursday and then again on Saturday."We were just trying to figure things out, because all game long we couldn’t get much separation from them. I could be wrong, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Sixers were at - or near - full strength on Thursday night. The tiebreaker may not matter, as it's unlikely that the Bucks will catch the Sixers at this point in the season, but as they say, it's better to be safe than sorry. Plus, the Sixers already lost to the Bucks once this season, so if they want to hold the tiebreaker between the two teams, they'll need to win both of the upcoming contests. Given the fact that the Bucks are currently third in the East and four games back of the Sixers in the standings, a win against them would mean more than a win against the Suns, as it would put additional space in the standings between the two teams. The contest against the Suns on Wednesday night was the front end of a back-to-back for Philadelphia, who will travel to Milwaukee to take on the Bucks on Thursday night (and then again on Saturday afternoon). While all games are important at this point in the season, not all are created equal when it comes to conference standings and postseason positioning. While the absences squeezed some of the juice out of this game, they were also likely strategic. Shortly before tipoff, three Sixers starters- Ben Simmons (illness), Tobias Harris (right knee soreness) and Seth Curry (left hip flexor recovery) - were ruled out of the game. Philadelphia may have sat some players strategically Moving forward he has to do a better job of taking care of the ball, even when the defense is swarming him like the Suns were all evening.Ĥ. Turnovers were a major issue for Embiid, specifically, as he finished the game with eight turnovers - one shy of tying his career-high. That's a 15-point difference in a game that, again, was decided by just three points. Those 17 turnovers led to 24 points for Phoenix, while Philadelphia generated just nine points off of turnovers. In a game that they won by three, the Suns committed seven fewer turnovers than the Sixers (17-10). Well, that was certainly the case tonight. Very often, when it comes to a close contest the team that wins the turnover battle goes on the win the game. In games that end as tight as this one did, turnovers are always one of the most telling stats. But still, it would have been an absolutely epic ending to regulation, and one of the most impressive buzzer-beaters in recent NBA memory. Now, even if the shot had dropped, that doesn't mean that the Sixers would have won the game, as the make would have only forced overtime. "When I threw it, it looked good," Embiid said after the game, and he was right. For a player that has the ball in his hands as much as Paul does, that's extremely impressive. He played his typical tenacious defense, plus, he didn't have a single turnover. He dropped an extremely efficient 28 points - on 10-for-17 shooting from the floor - and he also added eight assists, three rebounds and a blocked shot. Paul did a little bit of everything for the Suns in this one. Luckily for Phoenix, Paul was there to pick up the slack and keep the Suns in the game until Booker was able to break free and do some damage in the fourth. Heading into the fourth quarter, he had just 11 points while shooting 30 percent from the field. With that said, here are four key takeaways from the Suns' victory.ĭevin Booker struggled for the first 36 minutes of this game, thanks largely to the impressive defense of Matisse Thybulle. Ultimately though, Embiid's production wasn't enough for the Sixers to pull out a win. The All-Star big man scored 38 points and grabbed 17 rebounds - both game highs. For Philadelphia, Joel Embiid turned in another epic performance. The short-handed Sixers kept it close - there were 12 ties and 13 lead changes - but ultimately the Suns prevailed, 116-113, to sweep the season series with the Sixers.Ĭhris Paul led the way for the Suns with 28 points and eight assists, while Devin Booker added 19 points and seven assists of his own. They were without three starters in Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris and Seth Curry. The game served as a solid late-season test for two teams with lofty aspirations, though the Sixers were limited personnel-wise. The game was the second, and final, of the season between the two teams, as the Suns previously bested the Sixers back in February. A pair of contenders went at it when the Philadelphia 76ers hosted the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night.
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