The Sixers have learned from experience that leads can be slippery against the NBA's best.
The team lost a 15-point advantage Sunday night against the Suns and fell to a 114-104 defeat at Footprint Center. Phoenix came back from a 14-point deficit on Feb. 8 in Philadelphia.
Just as he'd done that night, Devin Booker scored 35 points. Chris Paul had 19 points and 14 assists.
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Joel Embiid posted 37 points, 15 rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
James Harden shot just 2 for 11 from the floor. He tallied 14 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.
Cameron Johnson (right quad contusion) and JaVale McGee (non-COVID illness) were among those out for Phoenix.
After a 2-1 road trip, the Sixers are 46-28. They dropped from first to fourth in the tight Eastern Conference standings, a half-game out of the top spot.
NBA
The Sixers' first of eight remaining regular-season games is Tuesday in Philadelphia against the Bucks. Here are observations on the team's loss to Phoenix:
Booker feasts on Sixers again
Booker on Thursday scored a season-best 49 points against Denver. Through one quarter Sunday, he was on pace for 88.
The 25-year-old recorded Phoenix’s first seven points and looked dangerous at all times. He certainly didn’t lack intensity despite the Suns having the NBA’s top playoff seed locked up, talking trash after almost every bucket. With an and-one, lefty layup on the fast break, he reached 13 quick points and gave the Suns a 19-13 lead. A well-guarded three-pointer over Shake Milton was Booker’s last of eight first-quarter field goals.
Booker didn’t make a shot of any kind in the second quarter and the Sixers limited Phoenix to 23 points, an impressive defensive period given the Suns entered the game with a seven-game streak of scoring at least 125 points each outing. Harden forced Booker to sit out the final two minutes and change of the first half by going at him on a transition drive. Booker’s protest was vehement, but the bottom line was he had three fouls and stewed on the sidelines.
Matisse Thybulle’s role in defending Booker was less prominent than initially planned because the third-year wing was called for two fouls early in the third quarter. The second was essentially unavoidable after Deandre Ayton pinned him in the paint on a fast break, but the first was an unnecessary risk as Thybulle attempted to block a Booker corner jumper.
Both Booker and the Suns showed their skill at targeting favorable situations Sunday. After dribbling past Harden on a pick-and-roll and seeing Embiid in the paint, Booker “Nashed” — circled across the baseline à la Steve Nash — and calmly made a three-pointer over Embiid in the corner. Hard to imagine any team defending that effectively.
Danny Green closed the game over Thybulle and mostly guarded Booker well, but he was frustrated by two and-one jumpers. It's clear the Sixers don't have an every-game closing lineup and that the Suns are a fantastic team across the board, especially in crunch time.
Embiid starts hot, Harden has off night
Embiid matched Booker’s strong start by notching the Sixers’ first six points. Two of his early buckets stemmed from pick-and-rolls with Harden.
When Phoenix switched and Harden drew Ayton’s second foul on a strong drive, Embiid then saw a chance to attack Bismack Biyombo. The Sixers were on the same page and let Embiid show off his skills from the nail. A 15-point first-quarter from the five-time All-Star included a driving, and-one hoop, an effortless mid-range jumper and a put-back layup.
Ayton sat after picking up his third foul late in the second quarter and the Sixers were intent on getting Embiid a touch every possession. In retrospect, Harden perhaps took that stance to a fault when he hit Embiid on a pick-and-pop pass, declining an open lane. Embiid missed the ensuing three-pointer.
It was a high bar to meet, but Harden didn’t play with the same aggression as he did during Friday night’s 25-point first half against the Clippers. On one second-quarter sequence, he was slow in sizing up Ayton and fumbled the ball. The Sixers committed a shot-clock violation. There’s a fine line between ensuring the team’s spacing is optimal to exploit a switch against a big man and holding the ball too long. That’s one of the many details related to playing with Harden that the Sixers will hope to hone in time for big postseason games.
Harden didn't offer much in the second half as far as putting pressure on the rim. The 2-for-11 shooting effort looks ugly, but the major question with Harden at the moment is whether he can draw help defenders and fouls when the Sixers need him to. He lacked his peak explosiveness Sunday and the status of his hamstring, conditioning and overall health are key questions related to what he'll be able to provide in the playoffs.
Embiid had an injury scare late in the third quarter when he came up limping after appearing to step on Booker's foot. He played his usual fourth-quarter minutes.
Suns always have answers
The Sixers outscored the Suns by 11 points in Embiid’s first-half stint on the bench.
Tobias Harris starred during that period and both his teammates and head coach Doc Rivers did well to ensure he kept receiving the ball in good spots. The team ran an action with DeAndre Jordan stepping up to screen for Harris that freed him for a comfortable mid-range jumper. He canned it, putting the Sixers up 51-37, and made 7 of his first 8 field goals.
Green gave the team its biggest lead of the night by hustling to grab his corner three miss, then sinking a jumper from the opposite corner. The Sixers' bench was both amused and delighted.
The team's healthy advantage didn't last long, though. When Embiid checked back in, Phoenix immediately replied with a 13-0 run. That stretch ultimately cost the Sixers against an opponent that's excellent at recognizing and winning decisive moments.
Tyrese Maxey helped the Sixers make the finish interesting. Maxey fired open looks all game despite beginning 2 for 10 from the floor, and he sunk two three-pointers in a 10-0 Sixers run that cut the team's deficit to 101-100.
Again, though, the Suns had a great reply —a 13-2 spurt this time — and showed why they've won 61 games, 14 more than any Eastern Conference team.