Sixers lose 109-99 to Suns despite Kelly Oubre Jr.'s best efforts

Keith Pompey, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Jan 6, 2025

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PHILADELPHIA — The 76ers were without their perennial All-Star center Joel Embiid, his backup Andre Drummond and their wise elder statesman, Kyle Lowry.

The trio’s absence combined with poor shooting to lead to a 109-99 loss to the Phoenix Suns Monday night at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Sixers (14-20) shot 39.1% from the field — including making 15 of 40 3-pointers. They also made just 16 of 26 foul shots. Things were so bad that Sixers players were booed during a timeout with 8 minutes, 25 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and at the conclusion of the game.

Paul George had another rough night, finishing with 13 points on 5-of-18 shooting from the field and 3 of 9 on 3-pointers. Fans could be heard yelling, “Get him out!” after one fourth-quarter turnover.

There were a few bright spots. The Sixers welcomed back Kelly Oubre Jr. after he missed three games with a sprained left hand. And the shooting guard was a welcomed addition, finishing with 26 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Tyrese Maxey finished with a game-high 31 points to go with 10 assists.

However, the Sixers missed the post presence of Embiid (sprained left foot) and Andre Drummond (sprained left toe). And with Lowry (sore right hip) out, the Sixers had to rely on two-way player Jeff Dowtin Jr. to provide first-half backup point guard minutes.

Guerschon Yabusele got the start at center in place of Embiid. The 6-foot-8, 279-pounder finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Meanwhile, Bradley Beal paced the Suns (16-18) with 25 points in his first game in a reserve role. Kevin Durant added 23 points, while Devin Booker had 10 points and 10 assists.

The Suns have won 10 of the last 12 series meetings with the Sixers. The two losses over that stretch were the previous two games at The Center.

While the Sixers slogged as a team, Oubre appeared refreshed after having several days of rest.

The shooting guard made his first two baskets on a 10-foot jumper and a dunk. He ended up eight points on 4-for-7 shooting to go with three rebounds while playing the entire first quarter. Oubre checked back in with 5 minutes, 52 seconds remaining in the half. At that point, the 6-8, 210-pounder grabbed five rebounds in addition to guarding Durant the rest of the half.

However, the Sixers had a tough time making shots in the third quarter. They missed 11 of their first 14 attempts from the field — including going 1 of 8 of 3-pointers. The Sixers also were 2 of 7 from the foul line during that stretch. As a result, Phoenix built a commanding 64-55 lead with 3:59 left in the quarter. Phoenix would extend its lead to 12 points.

However, Oubre scored 13 points in the third quarter to lead the Sixers’ comeback effort. His 3-pointer at the end-of-quarter buzzer pulled the Sixers within 78-73.

The Sixers made two more comeback attempts that were squashed by momentum-killing clutch baskets by Phoenix.

Up Next

The Sixers will host the Washington Wizards on Wednesday in the first of this season’s three series meetings. The Wizards have the Eastern Conference’s worst record of 6-27.