New-Look Suns Snap Losing Streak Against 76ers

Bradley Beal put together a strong performance in his new role off the bench.

Jan 6, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) reacts next to Phoenix Suns forward Ryan Dunn (0) after a missed shot during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Phoenix Suns finally got back in the W column, snapping a four-game losing streak with a 109-99 road victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.

This game marked a new iteration of this season's Suns, as Phoenix decided to move Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic to the bench in favor of Ryan Dunn and Mason Plumlee.

Phoenix (16-18) was relatively healthy with only Royce O'Neale (left ankle sprain) out. Philadelphia (15-19) was missing Joel Embiid (left foot sprain), Andre Drummond (left toe sprain), Kyle Lowry (right hip soreness) and KJ Martin (left foot stress reaction).

Beal and Dunn both excelled in their new roles. Beal contributed a team-high 25 points and five assists off the bench, as the Suns had 54 bench points with all 11 players who touched the court scoring. Dunn posted 15 points, and Kevin Durant added 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting, six rebounds and five assists.

Phoenix overcame Devin Booker's poor shooting night of 10 points on 3-of-16 shooting, but Booker still had a double-double with 10 points and 10 assists.

Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 31 points and 10 assists and former Suns forward Kelly Oubre Jr. notched 26 points and 11 rebounds. Paul George recorded 13 points on 5-of-18 shooting, as Dunn defended the star forward well all game. The 76ers only had seven bench points.

This game started as a defensive battle with both teams shooting under 40% in the first half, but the Suns looked rejuvenated and finally put together a solid second half in which they outscored Philadelphia 67-53 while shooting 64.1% from the field.

Quick Recap

After a Durant 3-pointer on Phoenix's first offensive possession, the 76ers responded with a 14-0 run. They rode this to a 23-16 advantage at the end of the first quarter, as Phoenix shot a dismal 5-for-19 (26.3%) from the field and Nurkic had a team-high four points.

The Suns defense and bench allowed them to cut the 76ers lead to as little as one in the second quarter, but Philadelphia built up its advantage to 46-42 at halftime. No Suns player was in double figures, and Booker shot 1-for-10 from the field, but Phoenix did have 24 bench points. Guerschon Yabusele posted 12 points to lead all scorers to go along with six rebounds for the 76ers.

Phoenix went on an early 10-0 run in the third quarter and Booker's first 3-pointer of the game gave them a 55-52 lead with 7:27 to go in the period. The Suns outscored the 76ers 36-27 in the third, shooting 68.4% in the quarter compared to 39.1% for the 76ers and were up 78-73 going into the fourth. Beal had 14 points (5-5 FG) in the third, while Oubre recorded 13 for Philadelphia.

The Suns built up their lead to 89-77 with 8:25 to go after an 11-1 run highlighted by a series of active defensive plays. The 76ers tried to claw their way back after this moment, but were too shorthanded to truly get back into it. Phoenix's closing lineup of Beal-Booker-Dunn-Durant-Oso Ighodaro (8 points, 6 rebounds) shut the door on Philadelphia on both ends of the floor.

Next Up

The Suns will head to Charlotte for the second night of a back-to-back tomorrow against the Hornets (7-27).