76ers Fall To Suns 109-99 After Poor Second Half Performance

After a six-game road stand, the Philadelphia 76ers performed poorly against the Phoenix Suns, losing 109-99. The 76ers were without most of their role players and Joel Embiid.

It was a back-and-forth low-scoring affair between both teams during the first half. However, the Suns came out shooting in the second half, outscoring the 76ers 62-47 in the final 24 minutes of the game.

Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre Jr. led the 76ers, scoring 28 and 26 points, respectively. Guerschon Yabusele started for the injured Embiid and finished with 12 points and eight rebounds. Despite coming off the bench, Bradley Beal was unstoppable in the Suns’ win. The guard finished with 25 points and five assists, while Kevin Durant added 23 points, six rebounds, and five assists.

Right out of the gate, the 76ers were ready to play in South Philly. Kevin Durant opened the scoring with a corner three, however, it was all Philadelphia for the remainder of the quarter. Guerschon Yabusele and Tyrese Maxey answered right back with threes of their own. Kelley Oubre Jr. then joined in on the scoring with six points of his own, before Yabusele slammed one home to make it 14-3 early.

The scoring kept coming for the 76ers with Maxey drilling another three and Paul George joining in with a short two. Jusef Nurkic got a run going for Pheonix, scoring four straight points, and a basket from Bradley Beal and a three from Grayson Allen made it 23-16 76ers after the first 12 minutes.

In the second quarter, Devin Booker knocked down the first field goal of the quarter and another shot from Monte Morris made it a four-point game. Adem Bona finally got a bucket for the 76ers with a huge slam and two-way player Justin Edwards followed up the slam with a long three-pointer to go back up nine.

The Suns then went on a big run to get right back in the game. It started with a slam from Oso Ighodaro then a three from Josh Okogie and a short two from Ryan Dunn. Philadelphia finally ended that run with a pair of free throws from Oubre and another long three from Yabusele.

With under four minutes to play in the half, Durant knocked down a layup and Tyus Jones drilled a three to make it a one-point game. Caleb Martin didn’t let that last long as he drilled his own three-pointer. Durant responded on the other end with a dunk, however, Yabusele drilled another three but was answered with a three from Beal.

As the final minute ticked down, Maxey extended the lead with a one-foot shot and George knocked down a long three but a tough mid-range from Jones made it 46-42 at the half.

At the start of the second half, Dunn knocked down the first field goal but was followed by a three from George and a dunk from Maxey. The Suns then went on a 10-0 run to take the lead. Dunn kicked things off with a three, back-to-back twos from Booker and Durant, and it was finished with a long three from Booker to make it 55-52 Phoenix.

The shots just kept falling for the Suns, with Durant making another two and Beal scoring five straight points, and after free throws from both teams, Beal drilled another three. Down 12, the 76ers got a huge bucket from Oubre to cut the deficit back to single digits. In the final minute of the quarter, both teams continued to answer each other’s shots, until Oubre was able to break the run drilling a buzzer-beater three to make it 78-73 heading into the fourth.

In the fourth quarter, Maxey kicked things off with a long three, however, the Suns went on another run. Beal drilled another mid-range bucket, and back-to-back threes from Dunn and Morris blew things open. Beal then added on once again with another bucket and Dunn drilled another three.

Maxey and Ighodaro then traded buckets back and forth as the 76ers trailed by 13 with under six to play. After only free-throw scoring from both teams, the Suns continued to deny the 76ers a comeback. With under two minutes left, a Yabusele dunk and a three from George made it an eight-point game, however, Durant went right down the court and drilled a long three to ice the game. The Suns were able to dribble out the clock to win 109-99.

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