3 observations after George struggles, Embiid-less Sixers lose to Suns in return home

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3 observations after George struggles, Embiid-less Sixers lose to Suns in return home originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers’ first home game since Dec. 23 sure did not go as they’d hoped.

The team suffered a 109-99 loss to the Suns on Monday night, falling to 14-20 this season.

Tyrese Maxey posted 31 points and 10 assists. Kelly Oubre Jr. tallied 26 points and 11 rebounds.

Paul George shot just 5 for 18 from the field and had 13 points, nine rebounds and five assists.

Bradley Beal led the Suns with 25 points and Kevin Durant scored 23 on 9-for-14 shooting.

The Sixers were down Joel Embiid (left foot sprain), Andre Drummond (left toe sprain), Kyle Lowry (right hip soreness), Jared McCain (left lateral meniscus surgery) and KJ Martin (left foot stress reaction).

They’ll host the Wizards on Wednesday night. Here are observations on their loss to Phoenix:

Sixers’ defense starts in high gear 

Entering the night on a four-game losing streak and with several straight weeks of very disappointing results, the Suns changed their starting lineup. Beal and Jusuf Nurkic both moved to the bench.

Durant kicked off the scoring with a three-pointer … and the Sixers then hit the Suns with a 14-0 run. Maxey and Guerschon Yabusele drained threes, Oubre and Yabusele threw down dunks, and the Sixers had their way on both ends.

Yabusele competed well on the defensive glass and brought his typical high energy level from the opening tip. His relative lack of height was not a major problem against Suns centers Mason Plumlee and Nurkic and he fired often on always-available pick-and-pop jumpers (3 for 8 from three-point range).

In his return from a left hand sprain, Oubre began the game guarding Devin Booker. The four-time All-Star was scoreless in the first quarter and shot 1 for 10 from the field in the first half. While players like Durant and Booker are always capable of making perfectly contested jumpers, the Sixers’ team defense was excellent in the early going.

The Sixers sent smart double teams at Phoenix’s stars in the post, rotated sharply and didn’t concede unnecessary fouls. Coming off a taxing…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/3-observations-george-struggles-embiid-022946411.html

Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia

Publish date : 2025-01-07 02:29:00

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