PHOENIX – The 76ers are streaking again. This time, it’s in a positive direction.
After beating the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, they kept their momentum going with a 123-110 victory Sunday night over the Phoenix Suns. This triumph at the Talking Stick Resort Arena had to feel good.
This victory did much more than give the Sixers (17-19) their first winning streak since taking three straight victories from Nov. 20 to 25. They also swept back-to-back games for the first time this season. And the Sixers avenged a 14-point setback to the Suns (14-24) on Dec. 4.
This matchup was interesting.
The Sixers blew a sizable lead, battled back from a deficit and made clutch shots to en route to taking their double-digit victory.
Dario Saric paced the Sixers with 27 points. Joel Embiid and JJ Redick both added 22 points, apiece. Embiid also had nine rebounds, five assists, two blocks and seven turnovers after missing Saturday’s game to rest. He appeared to hurt his right hand while crashing to court late in the game. However, Embiid remained in the contest.
Ben Simmons had 21 points on 7-for-11 shooting. The point guard added nine rebounds, six assists, three steals, three blocks and five turnovers.
Suns shooting guard Devin Booker finished with a game-high 32 points after scoring 46 against the Sixers on Dec. 4.
Early on, the Sixers had a comfortable cushion. They led by 18 points on three occasions before things began to unravel.
With his team up 72-54, Embiid picked up his fourth foul with 9:37 left in the third quarter. The Suns took advantage of his absence and maintained the momentum once he returned. Phoenix went on a 33-12 run take a 87-84 lead on Josh Jackson’s basket with 2:26 left in the quarter.
Embiid, however, went on to score eight of the team’s next 12 points to give the Sixers a 96-92 cushion with 11:06 left. But the Suns wouldn’t go away. Booker’s three-pointer with 5:44 left closed the cap to one (105-104). Ben Simmons responded with a layup and a pair of foul shots on consecutive possessions to extend the Sixers lead to five points. After a Suns basket, Simmons added another foul shot. Then Redick and Simmons added baskets to give the Sixers a 114-106 lead with 2:22 to play
Redick came back to hit a three-pointer with 1:31 left gave the Sixers a commanding 119-108 advantage.
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