The Philadelphia 76ers have won two games in a row and are in Phoenix on Wednesday night to take on the Suns as they start a four-game road trip against Western Conference playoff teams. After wins against the Hornets and Heat, the Sixers will be looking to extend their winning streak to three games.
The Suns, meanwhile, are returning home after a tough 140-129 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday and are 2-3 over their last five games, with two losses to the NBA-leading Boston Celtics in that span.
Sixers game information
Who: Philadelphia 76ers (38-30) at Phoenix Suns (38-29)
When: 10:00 pm EST
Where: Footprint Center, Phoenix AZ
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBA League Pass
Sixers vs. Suns betting info
Spread: Philadelphia 76ers +9 | Phoenix Suns -9
Moneyline: Philadelphia 76ers +310 | Phoenix Suns -395
Total: Over/Under 223
Latest on the Sixers
The Sixers are in for a rough road trip as they play the Suns, Lakers, Kings, and Clippers before returning home next week. They’ll be facing eight playoff teams over the next ten games, and the road to the playoffs for themselves isn’t getting easier to finish out the season.
With reigning MVP Joel Embiid out for the foreseeable future as he’s just returned to light practice, the Sixers have had a tough time without their star center. Going 27-8 with Embiid this season had the Sixers looking like a team that could truly compete for a title, but without Embiid, the team is just 12-22, including their two most recent wins.
All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey continues to impress the team and the league with his play as he’s doing everything he can to lead the Sixers as they’ve operated without two of their starters, Embiid and guard DeAnthony Melton for several weeks.
Maxey’s 26.1 points per game is good enough for 13th in the league, and he doesn’t seem to be letting up, as he’s averaged 27.3 points in the month of March while shooting 40.8% on his three-point attempts. If the Sixers are going to get anywhere near the 4th seeded Knicks, they’ll need Maxey to be a superstar over the next few games.
In addition to Maxey, players like Kelly Oubre Jr., who’s come up huge for the team of late, and newly acquired Buddy Hield, Cam Payne, and Kyle Lowry, are all going to have to play at the very best, even this late in the season. The Sixers need to have center Paul Reed and Mo Bamba continue their play as well, as their center combination has been averaging 14 points and 11.4 rebounds per game over the teams last five games.
Latest on the Suns
The Suns are returning home after a tough loss to the Bucks in Milwaukee, 140-129, which saw Kevin Durant score only 11 points in 41 minutes on the floor. The problem for the Sixers in this game is that even if Durant has a slower game as he did against the Bucks, the Suns still have Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Grayson Allen, Eric Gordon, and Royce O’Neal on the court, and all put up good numbers for the team.
Booker has been the teams second leading scorer behind Durant this season, averaging 27.2 points to go along with 4.7 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game. The addition of Bradley Beal has benefited the team as well with Beal averaging 18.8 points per game. The Suns can come at any team with any number of players that can give them more than 20 points in a game at any time.
The Suns will be looking to get going from deep, with Grayson Allen shooting 47.6% on his three-point attempts, leading the league in that category this season. Durant is shooting 41.9% on his three-pointers on the season, his highest percentage when playing more than 60 games in a season since the 2017-18 season in Brooklyn. The Suns are healthier and more talented than this Sixers team, and they will look to send a message to the league as they move up in the standings as the playoffs approach.
What to watch for tonight
Tyrese Maxey will be looking to build off a fantastic game against the Heat, which saw him score 30 points in addition to 8 rebounds and 10 assists. The Sixers will need the absolute best out of Maxey if they’re going to compete with a high-scoring and talented Suns team. Buddy Hield and Kelly Oubre Jr. are going to have to get hot early in the game to prevent the Sixers from getting into a hole that they may not be able to climb out of against a team like the Suns.
Anytime you get to see Kevin Durant play, you’re bound to have some highlights. While he’s slightly down a bit this season off of his career numbers, Durant has teammates like Booker, Beal, Gordon, and Allen who can all score, so Durant hasn’t needed to take over games as he may have in the past. Those five players are going to be gunning all night against a Sixers team that doesn’t have the defensive prowess that it does when Embiid is on the court.
Tonight will be a true test for the Sixers as they’re starting a very tough stretch against very good Western Conference teams over the next week. After beating the Heat on Monday, the team should be riding a high and looking to continue its success, but it doesn’t look good for them this week.
Forward Tobias Harris is listed as questionable for tonights game as he’s missed the past two games with an ankle injury. My opinion is that Harris has been questionable for his whole career in Philly.
Prediction
Sixers 114 – Suns 131
