On January 7th, Beijing time, the NBA regular season saw the Suns defeat the 76ers 109-99 on the road, ending their four-game losing streak. Embiid was out due to injury, and the Suns made an active lineup change by benching Beal and Nurkic; they started the first quarter trailing by double digits at 5-17, but their offense improved later. In the third quarter, they turned the game around with a 20-3 run, and although the 76ers tried to catch up, the Suns led by 5 points at the end of the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, the Suns went on a 14-1 run to lead by 15 points. Faced with the 76ers' counterattack, Durant scored crucial points, ultimately securing the victory for the Suns and ending their four-game losing streak.
Statistical Highlights
Suns: Durant had 23 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block; Booker had 10 points, 10 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals; Dunn had 15 points and 3 rebounds; Jones had 5 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists; Plumlee had 2 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal; Beal had 25 points and 5 assists; Iguodala had 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists.
76ers: Maxey had 31 points and 10 assists; Oubre had 26 points and 11 rebounds; Yabusele had 14 points and 10 rebounds; George shot 5-for-18, scoring 13 points with 9 rebounds and 5 assists; Martin had 8 points and 7 rebounds.
Best of the Game
Durant shot 9-for-14, including 3-for-4 from three-point range, scoring 23 points with 6 rebounds and 5 assists. He scored crucial points in the clutch, leading the Suns to end their four-game losing streak.
Highlight Moments
Grayson Allen hit an unreasonable three-pointer
George stole the ball and dunked, igniting the crowd
Oubre broke through the baseline past Durant and dunked with one arm
Maxey broke through and made a layup with a pull-up jumper
Durant challenged Oubre and dunked after breaking through
Durant soared for a dunk in transition
George hit an unreasonable three-pointer
Game Recap
In the first quarter, after Durant hit a three-pointer, the Suns' offense stalled. Yabusele responded with a three-pointer, Oubre made a mid-range shot, and Maxey hit a three-pointer, followed by Oubre's fastbreak dunk. After a timeout, the Suns turned the ball over, and Oubre made a layup, while Yabusele dunked. The 76ers went on a 14-0 run, and Plumlee's putback broke the Suns' scoring drought. Maxey hit another three-pointer, Beal made an open mid-range shot, and George immediately responded with two points. The Suns then went on a 6-2 run to close the gap to 8 points. George stole the ball and dunked, Allen hit an unreasonable three-pointer, and Beal missed a buzzer-beating three-pointer, leaving the Suns trailing the 76ers by 7 points at the end of the first quarter, 16-23.
In the second quarter, Martin made one of two free throws, Booker scored with a pull-up mid-range shot, Morris made a driving layup, Bona cut for a dunk, Edwards hit a three-pointer, Iguodala scored 4 consecutive points, Okojie hit a three-pointer, and Dunn made a layup. The Suns went on a 9-1 run to close the gap to 1 point. The 76ers then stopped the Suns' momentum with a 5-0 run. Durant made a layup off a cut, Jones hit a three-pointer, and Martin responded with a three-pointer. Durant dunked after breaking through, and Yabusele hit another three-pointer. Beal responded with a three-pointer, Maxey made a layup with a pull-up jumper, George hit a three-pointer, and Jones made a layup. Durant missed a buzzer-beating three-pointer, and the Suns trailed the 76ers by 4 points at halftime, 42-46.
In the third quarter, Booker made one of two free throws, Dunn scored in transition, George hit a three-pointer, and Maxey dunked in transition, forcing a Suns timeout. After the timeout, Dunn hit a three-pointer, Booker made a pull-up mid-range shot, and Durant dunked in transition. Booker hit a three-pointer, and the Suns went on a 10-0 run to take the lead. Maxey scored against Durant to stop the bleeding, Durant made his signature mid-range shot, Beal made a layup and hit a corner three-pointer, and the Suns went on a 10-1 run to lead by 10 points. Oubre made a layup, Beal responded with two points and another three-pointer, while Oubre scored 8 consecutive points attacking the basket. Durant made a mid-range shot, Maxey scored in transition, Beal attacked the basket, and Oubre hit a super-long buzzer-beating three-pointer. At the end of the third quarter, the Suns led by 5 points, 78-73, with Beal scoring 14 points and Oubre scoring 13 points in the quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Maxey hit a three-pointer, and then Philadelphia's offense stalled. Beal scored with a floater in the paint, Dunn and Morris hit back-to-back three-pointers, and Beal scored again with a pull-up mid-range shot. Dunn hit another three-pointer, and the Suns went on a 14-1 run to lead by 15 points. Maxey then hit two consecutive three-pointers and attacked the basket, while Oubre made a 2+1 play to close the gap to 8 points. Booker made one of two free throws, and in the crucial moments, Durant made his signature mid-range shot and hit a three-pointer. Martin made one of two free throws, both teams made consecutive turnovers, Yabusele scored on a second-chance opportunity, Booker turned the ball over, George hit a three-pointer in transition, and Durant hit an unreasonable three-pointer, ultimately securing the victory for the Suns.
Starting Lineups
Suns: Durant, Booker, Jones, Dunn, and Plumlee
76ers: Maxey, George, Yabusele, Oubre, and Martin