Jalen Green Returns to Lift Phoenix Suns to Third Straight Win over Philadelphia 76ers
In the fourth game of their five-game East Coast road trip, the Phoenix Suns handily beat the Philadelphia 76ers in a 116-110 final to win their third straight game, thanks to Jalen Green’s solid performance in his return.
Suns Offense Sees Massive Increase In Production In Jalen Green’s Return
After being out since November 8 due to a right hamstring strain, Jalen Green made his presence felt for the Suns in his return. The former Rocket dropped 12 points off the bench as the Suns’ offense seemingly had a lot more firepower with Green back on the court in the win. Of course, Green’s effort was also helped by All-Star Devin Booker, who continued his impressive play for Phoenix. He dropped a game-high 27 points as Booker was once again at the forefront of the Suns’ offensive attack in the win.
The Suns’ scorching hot shooting also came alive yet again, as Phoenix continues to showcase how dangerous a team they are when the three-point shot is falling. Phoenix ended the game shooting an efficient 41% from three, with nearly half of their shots coming from beyond the arc. That three-point barrage was led by the Suns’ most reliable sharpshooter, Grayson Allen, who knocked down four threes to finish with 16 points.
Phoenix also received a bit of a surprise performance from journeyman Guard Jordan Goodwin, who, along with Green, provided another spark off the bench for the Suns. Goodwin would drop a season-high 16 points off the bench in a performance that is sure to earn him some more playing time in the near future. The Suns’ bench was the overall difference maker in the game, as the second unit would finish with 56 points compared to the Sixers 28 bench points.
Sixers Not Able To Offset Embiid and PG’s Absence
In a story that has become all too common in Philly over the past two years, the Sixers’ offense looked out of sorts without its two stars, Paul George and Joel Embiid, out of the lineup. George was ruled out before tipoff due to an ongoing left knee injury that the Sixers have been trying to manage for some time now. As for Embiid, the Sixers elected to sit the former MVP on the second night of a back-to-back to better nurse a right ankle injury that Embiid has been dealing with.
The absence of both players allowed for other players to step up and shine, and that was the case for both VJ Edgecombe and Kelly Oubre Jr. The Sixers’ rookie sensation finished with a team-high 25 points, while Oubre Jr. added 21 points in a valiant effort by both players in the loss. Sixers All-Star Tyrese Maxey also had a solid game himself, as he dropped 20 points while also showing off his much-improved playmaking skills with 7 assists to boot.
That would be where the offensive production would end for the Sixers, as they finished the game shooting just 41% from the field and 32% from three-point range. The only other bright spot that popped in the game for the Sixers team came in the rebounding department. Philadelphia would outrebound the Suns 49-42, with the Sixers’ backup center Andre Drummond making his presence felt on the backboard with a game-high 15 rebounds.
Suns Climb Up the Standings Following Third Straight Win
After spending much of the season stuck in the 7th-place spot in the Western Conference standings, the Suns were able to finally move up in the West as they swapped places with the Los Angeles Lakers for the 6th-place position. For the Sixers, they stay put in a tie for 5th place in the Eastern Conference with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Only one game separates the 3rd-place and 7th-place spots in the East, as the middle of the standings continues to stay jam-packed as the 2025-26 NBA season closes in on the All-Star break.
