The Phoenix Suns and 76ers both started their week with a win, but they won’t have much time to celebrate as the teams meet in Philadelphia on Tuesday night.
The 76ers are coming off a 113-104 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Monday. Tyrese Maxey recorded 29 points, eight assists and a career-high eight steals, while Joel Embiid added 30 points and nine rebounds for the Sixers.
“Every single night, we’re going out here and competing,” Maxey said. “That doesn’t always accumulate to wins — sometimes we lose tough games — but we’re playing the right way. We have the right mindset every time we step on the court, so that’s good.”
The 76ers have reached the halfway point of their season with a 23-18 record. They won just 24 games last season.
“I think there’s some encouraging things for sure. We’ve played some pretty good basketball,” coach Nick Nurse said. “There’s a few games, looking back, that I think, ‘Man, we should have had those and we gave them away,’ but I think we would have taken this at the start of the season, for sure.”
Paul George sat out Monday’s game to manage his left knee injury but should be available Tuesday.
The Suns also could have a key player back, as Jalen Green (hamstring) is nearing his return to the court for the first time since Nov. 8. He has appeared in only two games during his first season in Phoenix.
“We’ll figure it out,” Phoenix coach Jordan Ott said, when asked how he’ll integrate Green back into the lineup. “We just want him out there, want him healthy. That’ll help us.”
Phoenix posted a 126-117 win against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday, improving to 5-2 in its last seven games. The Suns are 2-2 on their six-game road trip, which will end Friday in Atlanta. But first, the team’s dynamic backcourt must focus on the Sixers.
Phoenix would love to shoot the way it did on Monday, when it made 57.1% of its shots from the field, including 20 of 39 from 3-point range. Dillon Brooks led the way with 27 points, while Devin Booker had 24 and Collin Gillespie 22.
Brooks was 6 of 9 from outside the arc, while Gillespie was 5 of 7 from there in a crisp overall performance. Their key quarters were the first, when the Suns outscored Brooklyn 40-26, and the third, when the visitors came away with a 31-21 advantage.
“We started off hot, then we let them back in a little bit,” Booker said. “But we regrouped at halftime, came out with a better mindset and handled business.”
Phoenix center Mark Williams, who typically doesn’t play in back-to-back sets due to knee soreness, contributed 16 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.
“We’ll take a look (at his status for Tuesday),” Ott said. “… He wants to play in the back-to-backs just as bad as we want him out there. We’re still going to continue to be smart.”
This will be the first matchup between the Sixers and Suns this season. Phoenix is 10-2 against Philadelphia over the previous six seasons.
