Following a subpar performance against the Milwaukee Bucks over the weekend, the Phoenix Suns wanted to bounce back.
The Suns improved to 40-29 on the season on Wednesday night after defeating the Philadelphia 76ers 115-102.
Phoenix’s victory was largely due to Grayson Allen, who recorded his third 30-point performance of the year and fifth overall. He led the Suns in scoring for the sixth time this season tonight.
After seven mistakes and missing their first nine shots, Phoenix had a dismal shooting start and trailed 23-21 after one quarter of play. Due to their combined 23 rebounds and the Sixers’ inability to make all five of their three-point shots, the Suns built a small lead over Philadelphia as the quarter was coming to a finish, but Philadelphia eventually reclaimed possession.
Bol Bol was cleared to play in the second quarter despite likely having an ankle sprain, and he made his first appearance. The Suns looked to be settling into a groove as they extended their lead to 16 points in the closing minutes of the first half with better three-point shooting.
After twenty minutes of play, Philadelphia was behind 60-47 due to a terrible 4-18 shooting from beyond the arc. Devin Booker (10) and Royce O’Neale (13), along with Grayson Allen (13), all scored in double figures for Phoenix.
Booker quickly received his fourth foul in the third quarter, but Vogel still let the star guard play.
After a sluggish first half, Kevin Durant officially overtook Shaquille O’Neal for ninth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring record in the third quarter when he scored ten points. Below, you can learn more about that:
Thanks to another ten-point performance from Allen, the Suns were able to maintain their advantage over Philadelphia going into the final period, 90-66.
Early in the fourth quarter, Bol scored his eleventh point. After Mo Bamba missed two straight free throws from the line, spectators were given a complimentary chicken sandwich.
With just under seven minutes remaining, Allen’s scorching form continued to help Phoenix reach the 100-point milestone. In the last minute and a half, Vogel was able to empty the bench because the Suns maintained enough pressure on the 76ers despite their open looks.
Isaiah Thomas officially signed his ten-day contract earlier in the day, and he made his Suns debut.
On the second night of a back-to-back, Phoenix will host the Atlanta Hawks when it returns home tomorrow.
