Bismack Biyombo isn’t a very good shooter, he’s a clank machine on the free-throw line and is undersized defensively towards most opposing submit gamers.
On the opposite hand, he performs actually, actually exhausting.
And that’s precisely what the Suns wanted on Saturday evening.
Biyombo had one in every of his finest video games this season with 17 factors, 13 rebounds and 5 blocks, Devin Booker scored 29 factors and Phoenix Suns beat the Philadelphia 76ers 125-105 to snap a three-game shedding streak.
“When things are not going well, what do you do?” Biyombo mentioned. “You’ve just got to put your head down and keep working and eventually we’ll catch a break.”
It was a badly wanted win for the Suns, who had misplaced six of seven coming into the sport to slip right down to No. 5 within the Western Conference playoff race. The Sixers have misplaced three of their previous 4.
Biyombo — beginning for the injured Deandre Ayton — was a pressure on each ends of the court docket, getting inside buckets on offense and making life tough for Sixers star Joel Embiid on protection. It was his fixed power that boosted the Suns, notably after a irritating loss to the Kings one evening earlier than.
“Bizzy plays hard,” Suns guard Chris Paul mentioned. “That’s a talent. He’s in the right spot at the right time and his energy — we feed off it. He covers up a lot of our mistakes on the defensive end.”
The sport was tight by way of a lot of the first three quarters, however the Suns used a 26-11 run to show a tied sport right into a 15-point benefit early within the fourth quarter. Phoenix obtained good minutes from most of their bench gamers, notably Terrence Ross and T.J. Warren.
Warren completed with 16 factors, whereas Ross had 15.
“Our bench production — it was huge,” Suns coach Monty Williams mentioned. “We had to dig deep.”
Booker shot 9 of 18 from the sphere and hit all 9 of his free throws.
The Suns gained regardless of an enormous sport from Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey, who completed with 37 factors on 14-of-19 taking pictures, together with 7 of 11 from 3-point vary. Embiid added 28 factors and 10 rebounds.
“We didn’t play well,” Sixers coach Doc Rivers mentioned. “We didn’t move the ball today. The ball was stagnant offensively. That’s not how we play.”
The road-weary Sixers have performed 10 of their previous 13 on the street.
“I thought I missed a lot of shots I usually make,” Embiid mentioned. “They loaded up a lot so I barely had any driving lanes.”
Both groups have been lacking key items. The Suns have been with out Ayton (hip) and Kevin Durant (ankle), whereas the 76ers didn’t have James Harden (achilles).
The Suns had a 58-53 halftime lead. Maxey led all scorers with 21 factors earlier than the break, whereas Booker had 18 for the Suns.
