This season, the Phoenix Suns have found themselves in an extremely embarrassing situation. They have paid a luxury tax of as high as 188million,rankingfirstintheentireleagueandbecomingtheonlyteaminNBAhistorytospendover400 million. With such a huge investment, the owner naturally expects a corresponding record, but the reality is cruel. Currently ranked 12th in the West, even if they win this game, they will only have 16 wins and 18 losses. At the beginning of the season, they were once at the top of the Western Conference, but then their state plummeted. The owner's expectations have been dashed, and if they cannot make it into the playoffs or the play-in tournament, it is likely that the team will be dismantled. However, rebuilding the Suns is also difficult, as most of the first-round draft picks are controlled by the Houston Rockets, who hold three unprotected picks. To rebuild, they must first regain the draft picks, otherwise, they would just be making wedding dresses for others.
In fact, when they brought in Beal, there were many voices of doubt from the outside. Beal performed outstandingly with the Wizards, but his playing style is very similar to Booker's. What the Suns really lacked at the time was not another powerful scorer, but a point guard who could activate the team or a strong player who could hold down the interior. However, at a time when the management urgently needed to strengthen the point guard and the interior, they traded Paul for Beal through operations. This decision obviously left hidden dangers for the team's future development. Now that the team is in trouble, it can't be blamed on Beal, after all, the Suns actively sought him out. According to reports from journalists, Beal's attitude is very clear, stating that he would only consider waiving his trade veto power if teams like the Lakers, Clippers, Heat, and Warriors show interest in him. Now that the Heat have lost interest, the Suns can only temporarily put Beal on the bench and use him as an emergency measure when necessary.
On this day, taking advantage of the absence of Embiid from the Philadelphia team, the Suns lined up a starting lineup that fans were eagerly looking forward to. Jones took on the role of point guard to control the team's offensive rhythm, while Booker played shooting guard and was responsible for attacking. Rookie Dunn made his first start at small forward, focusing on defense and using his excellent athletic ability to expand space. Durant stood at the four position, continuously breaking through with his height and superior abilities. Plumlee started at the five position, although slightly weak in the interior, but able to cope, and later it is likely that they will need to find a more suitable center. Beal, on the other hand, came off the bench with unlimited shooting rights, ready to enter the game at any time with the reserves.
At the start of the game, the Suns faced a tough situation. Booker's touch was poor, and he was very cold, while Maxi and Oubre of Philadelphia were in great form, with plenty of offensive firepower and frequent shots. George was also not in good shape. At the end of the first quarter, Philadelphia led 23-16. On the court, the Philadelphia players were in high spirits, with Maxi's flexible breakthroughs and Oubre's outside three-pointers coming easily. Looking at the Suns, Booker missed several shots, and George was constantly making mistakes, with the players all looking very serious.
Fortunately, things changed dramatically when they entered the second quarter. The bench lineup led by Beal shone brightly as soon as they took the court, quickly bringing the game to life. Iguodala has rich experience, and Okogie is full of vitality. The two of them worked together inside and outside, breaking through and shooting. Beal was in explosive form, fully outputting and leading the bench lineup to catch up in points. Watching the gap quickly narrow to 4 points, it should be noted that this was achieved under the unfavorable circumstances of Booker shooting only 1 of 10 in the first half.
As soon as the second half began, the Suns launched a full-scale counterattack. After the halftime break, Booker found his touch and hit a signature mid-range jumper as soon as he took the court. Durant leapt high to complete a powerful dunk, igniting the crowd. Dunn unleashed his power from outside, hitting three consecutive three-pointers to help the team take the lead. Then Beal came on, working with his teammates to create a climax and expand the lead to 10 points, laying the foundation for victory. In the final quarter, the Suns led by 15 points, and although Philadelphia did not give up, Maxi hit three consecutive three-pointers in an attempt to reverse the trend, but at the critical moment, Durant scored 8 points in a row with his superhuman abilities, extinguishing Philadelphia's counterattack and winning the game.
The intensity of this game and the performance of the players can be clearly seen through the full game data. On the Philadelphia side, Maxi fought hard and scored 31 points; George shot only 5 of 18, scoring only 13 points, which is not commensurate with his $50 million annual salary; Oubre scored 26 points, and Yabusele performed outstandingly, grabbing 14 points and 10 rebounds. On the Suns' side, Booker shot poorly with 3 of 16, similar to George; Durant scored 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, showing his superstar qualities at key moments; Dunn excelled on both offense and defense, hitting 3 of 6 three-pointers for 13 points; Beal came off the bench for 29 minutes, shooting 10 of 15 efficiently for 25 points and dishing out 5 assists; Jones contributed 5 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists. Although winning against a Philadelphia team without Embiid is not very convincing, Beal's switch to the bench is significant for the Suns. If they can later add a capable center to strengthen the interior, the Suns still have a chance to catch up in the subsequent schedule.
In basketball forums, many fans have engaged in heated discussions about this game. Some fans cheered for the Suns' victory in this game and highly praised the positive effect of Beal playing as a substitute; while others continued to criticize George's mediocre performance in the game. Different opinions collided with each other, causing the related topics to heat up.