3 observations after Sixers lose tight one to Suns in final pre-deadline game

The Sixers couldn’t hold a double-digit advantage Tuesday night against the reigning Western Conference champions and a formidable contender for this year’s championship.

In its final game before Thursday afternoon’s trade deadline, the team dropped to 32-22 with a 114-109 loss to the Suns at Wells Fargo Center.

Joel Embiid scored 34 points and pulled down 12 rebounds. Tobias Harris had 30 points.

Devin Booker scored 35 points for Phoenix on 11-for-23 shooting. 

The trade deadline is Thursday at 3 p.m. ET and the Sixers' next game is Friday night against the Thunder. Here are observations on their loss to the Suns:

Harris and Embiid carry Sixers to lead 

Embiid missed his first two jumpers against Deandre Ayton and also committed an offensive foul trying to carve out space for a rebound. As a team, the Sixers began 0 for 7 from the floor. 

Embiid soon got cooking, though, scoring 10 first-quarter points. Seth Curry did not, missing his first eight shots, including an open second-quarter layup. His first make was a big one, however, as Curry hit a three-pointer that cut Phoenix's edge to 103-102 in the fourth.

Curry has clearly been below 100 percent lately and missed recent games with back and ankle issues. He’d never exceeded 30 minutes per game in a season and entered Tuesday averaging 35.0. No reason to bet against his shooting returning to its normal level if he’s able to recuperate effectively over the All-Star break.

“Yeah, I think so," Sixers head coach Doc Rivers said when asked whether Curry was hampered by the ankle and back injuries. “We contemplated at halftime … he wasn’t moving well at all. Not only offensively, but defensively you just could tell. He was reaching a lot. That was a tough one because I really thought at halftime, maybe we should sit him, let him get right. We kind of let him talk us into it. Those are the ones you wish you could have back, because I didn’t think he served any purpose being out there tonight with that. It is what it is now.”

Harris was the Sixers’ go-to guy when Embiid sat and was excellent in that role. He started 7 for 8, including a confident pull-up three-pointer to make it 39-33 Sixers. The snug pick-and-roll with Harris and Andre Drummond got the job done on several occasions. 

“He’s back to the Tobias of last year," Rivers said. “He’s taking the in-between jump shots now. He’s going downhill now. He’s making quick decisions now. And that’s great for our team.”

In a predictable pattern, Phoenix went to a zone defense in the middle of the second quarter and the Sixers initially struggled to execute against it. Harris turned the ball over throwing a high-low pass to Embiid and had a driving layup blocked by Ayton next time down the floor. Embiid helped the Sixers shrug off the zone hiccups with individual shotmaking, though. He and Harris combined for 36 of the team’s 59 first-half points. A fast-break Embiid layup early in the third gave the Sixers a 14-point lead, their highest of the night.

The Thybulle-Booker matchup 

Matisse Thybulle returned after sitting out a game with right shoulder soreness. Shake Milton (back contusion) has been out since Jan. 3. 

Booker took six field goals within the game’s opening six minutes. Thybulle swatted the All-Star guard’s seventh try, lurking from behind and then snuffing a mid-range attempt. Booker has the talent to shake the large majority of defenders, but Thybulle looked fine in isolation situations. 

He’s always a threat to challenge and reject shots when trailing the play, too. However, Booker doesn’t mind tough shots, and he hit a few Tuesday on Thybulle. 

While Phoenix stuck Chris Paul on Thybulle and understandably didn’t show him much defensive respect, the 24-year-old knocked down 2 of 2 three-point tries, including a first-quarter buzzer-beater. Tyrese Maxey (14 points on 5-for-16 shooting, six rebounds, four assists) added another buzzer-beater at the end of the second quarter. 

Booker drew a couple of fouls in the fourth quarter that irritated Thybulle and the Sixers. He padded his final stat line a tad by making late free throws after intentional Sixers fouls, but Booker still deserves ample credit for a strong night against an exceptional defender. 

“He’s one of those guys who plays hard, plays aggressive," Thybulle said. “He’s kind of like an angry player, which is just the persona he takes on the court, but he plays with this relentless attack that he’s always putting on you all game. It’s a great challenge and he makes their team really good.”

Suns raise game, best Sixers down stretch 

Once the Sixers went up 14, the Suns suddenly looked like a team that headed into Tuesday’s contest with a 43-10 record.

Even on the second night of a back-to-back, Phoenix obviously had another gear to access. The Sixers’ half-court offense became more labored and the team allowed a few costly offensive rebounds, which has been a common theme in losses. That 14-point edge was completely erased on an Elfrid Payton floater with 37.8 seconds left in the third.

Paul (16 points, 12 assists) didn't have a great shooting night, but he's masterful at running and leading a team. Rivers said pregame that Paul's seriousness stood out during his Clippers days, and that was evident Tuesday. The 36-year-old wasn't satisfied with his team's standard and pushed the Suns back into the game. 

Phoenix sported an unbelievably stellar plus-43.5 net rating in clutch situations before Tuesday's game. There's no shame in losing to that kind of team, but it's nevertheless a frustrating final pre-deadline game, especially because the Sixers couldn’t capitalize on two late Phoenix turnovers. With the team down 110-107, Embiid threw an outlet pass to Curry that landed out of bounds with 21.9 seconds left.

We now wait and see what the Sixers' roster looks like in a few days.