Joel Embiid and Paul George were a double whammy for the Philadelphia 76ers, as they both landed in the injury report just hours before their second game of back-to-back nights. This is no ordinary back-to-back, folks; it's the ninth one of the season and the stakes are higher with each passing night.
In a city where football reigns supreme, basketball can sometimes be an afterthought, but not tonight at the Wells Fargo Center, as the 76ers took on their arch-nemesis from across town, the Phoenix Suns. The Sixers were looking to win back-to-back games for just the fourth time this season and needed all hands on deck.
However, what started off as a promising first half slowly unraveled in the third quarter. Tyrese Maxey's early struggles couldn't be ignored, but then VJ Edgecombe and Kelly Oubre Jr. stepped up with significant early lifts to keep their team in the game. A resurgent push by the Sixers midway through the second quarter had them trailing by just eight at halftime.
The turning point came in the third quarter when Maxey seemed to find his rhythm, sparking a spirited comeback attempt that put pressure on the Suns' usually reliable defense. With 8:45 left, the Suns found themselves down just two points before the Sixers took control with a late 7-0 run.
But their run was short-lived as Phoenix regained its composure and responded with an unstoppable onslaught of 38 unanswered points to send the Sixers on a 9-minute and 24-second collapse.
For what felt like hours, Maxey struggled to find his footing, and strong scoring nights from Oubre and Edgecombe were nowhere close enough for Philly to overcome the deficit without Embiid and George.
The Sixers' bench was all too happy to provide some much-needed energy in a desperate final push as Adem Bona's defensive hustle played a pivotal role. However, the damage was done by then; reserve guard Jordan Goodwin did a fine job of eating up space on Oubre with relentless ball pressure and an emphatic block that turned the tide back in favor of Phoenix.
The bigger question now is whether the Sixers have the depth to withstand the absence of key players without going under. They'll need all hands on deck, particularly if they plan on staying atop their division standings as it currently stands.
In a city where football reigns supreme, basketball can sometimes be an afterthought, but not tonight at the Wells Fargo Center, as the 76ers took on their arch-nemesis from across town, the Phoenix Suns. The Sixers were looking to win back-to-back games for just the fourth time this season and needed all hands on deck.
However, what started off as a promising first half slowly unraveled in the third quarter. Tyrese Maxey's early struggles couldn't be ignored, but then VJ Edgecombe and Kelly Oubre Jr. stepped up with significant early lifts to keep their team in the game. A resurgent push by the Sixers midway through the second quarter had them trailing by just eight at halftime.
The turning point came in the third quarter when Maxey seemed to find his rhythm, sparking a spirited comeback attempt that put pressure on the Suns' usually reliable defense. With 8:45 left, the Suns found themselves down just two points before the Sixers took control with a late 7-0 run.
But their run was short-lived as Phoenix regained its composure and responded with an unstoppable onslaught of 38 unanswered points to send the Sixers on a 9-minute and 24-second collapse.
For what felt like hours, Maxey struggled to find his footing, and strong scoring nights from Oubre and Edgecombe were nowhere close enough for Philly to overcome the deficit without Embiid and George.
The Sixers' bench was all too happy to provide some much-needed energy in a desperate final push as Adem Bona's defensive hustle played a pivotal role. However, the damage was done by then; reserve guard Jordan Goodwin did a fine job of eating up space on Oubre with relentless ball pressure and an emphatic block that turned the tide back in favor of Phoenix.
The bigger question now is whether the Sixers have the depth to withstand the absence of key players without going under. They'll need all hands on deck, particularly if they plan on staying atop their division standings as it currently stands.
! adem bona's defense was on point and goodwin's block gave the suns a huge momentum shift 
. but seriously though, this is a big concern for philly - can they keep up without those two? it's not just about the injuries, but also the depth of their roster... they need to figure out who's gonna step up next if that happens 
This Philly game was so intense, I'm exhausted just reading about it 
. The Sixers had that lead and then poof, Phoenix came back and took control 
. It's crazy how one player like Maxey can make all the difference in a game 
The bigger question is for real tho, can Philly keep up with their division rivals without Embiid and George? 
but seriously philly needs to figure out what ails them or else they might not make the playoffs lol
the sixers are just getting started with injuries 
maxey's struggles were a major problem, hopefully he gets it together soon 
and without embiid & george... who's gonna carry them on the road? 
those suns just took over and phoenix's defense was straight fire 
they gotta get embiid and george healthy ASAP or else its gonna be tough to stay on top of their division standings 
they gotta figure out how to perform with a bunch of different lineups and keep this momentum going without embiid & george 
but yeah, this loss hurts especially with Embiid and George out 
. One minute you've got Embiid and George, the next they're out, and you gotta scramble to keep up. It's like they're trying to solve a puzzle blindfolded 
. And don't even get me started on Maxey's inconsistencies - can't he just string together a solid game for once? 
The bench is doing its part, but at the end of the day, it's gonna take more than just some hustle plays to carry this team to victory 
, it can't be just 2-3 good games from maxey and oubre, they got some young blood on the bench like adem bona 
he was 
what's up with him?? 
and phoenix is just so clutch rn 
embiid and george are a big loss for them, esp with all these back-to-backs coming up 
...