After a disappointing 2-2 road trip, the Phoenix Suns (39-29, 8th in Western Conference) host the Philadelphia 76ers (38-30, 6th in Eastern Conference) in their final regular season meeting.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Kevin Durant enters tonight needing nine points to pass Shaquille O’Neal for eighth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
Joel Embiid will miss his 23rd consecutive game due to a meniscus injury for Philadelphia tonight. The 76ers are 9-13 so far during this stretch without the reigning MVP. Meanwhile, the Suns are pretty much completely healthy, and Isaiah Thomas will be available to make his debut.
The Suns are coming off a 140-129 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks Sunday. Phoenix surrendered 18 3-pointers to the Bucks in the first half, which tied an NBA record for most 3s in a half. The Suns were never able to rebound from this, as the Bucks took a 22-point lead into the half. Bradley Beal led Phoenix with 28 points and seven assists in the loss.
The 76ers won their second straight game Monday night defeating the Miami Heat 98-91. Both Tyrese Maxey (30 points, 10 assists) and Kelly Oubre (22 points, 11 rebounds) had double-doubles in the win.
These two teams haven’t played since Nov. 4 when the 76ers beat a short-handed Suns team 112-100 in Philadelphia. The Suns only shot 36% from the floor and 25% from three in this loss. On the other side, the 76ers shot 47% from the floor and 36% from three. Without Devin Booker and Beal, Kevin Durant had 31 points and seven rebounds in the loss. Embiid notched 26 and 11 rebounds for Philadelphia.
Local Game Information
Start Time: 7 p.m. MST
Location: Footprint Center
TV Channel: AZ Family/ 3TV
Radio: Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, La Mejor 106.5 FM
Stream: Suns Live (click for more info)
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 20, 2024
Betting Odds
Line: PHX -9.5
O/U: 222.5
Injury Report
Phoenix Suns: Bol Bol (right ankle sprain) PROBABLE | Josh Okogie (lower abdominal strain) OUT | Damion Lee (right meniscus surgery) OUT
Philadelphia 76ers: Tobias Harris (right ankle sprain) QUESTIONABLE | Joel Embiid (left knee meniscus procedure) OUT | Robert Covington (left knee bone bruise) OUT | De’Anthony Melton (lumbar spine bone stress) OUT | Kai Jones (right hamstring strain) OUT
Starters (Projected)
Phoenix Suns: Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Grayson Allen, Kevin Durant, Jusuf Nurkić
Philadelphia 76ers: Kyle Lowry, Tyrese Maxey, Kelly Oubre Jr., Nicolas Batum, Mo Bamba
Five Keys to Game for Suns
- Guarding the 3-point line
- Limiting turnovers
- Getting out in transition
- Crashing the glass
- Riding momentum
Prediction
Suns 115 – 76ers 107
The 76ers have been a really good defensive team as of late, but they simply don’t have enough to compete with the Suns without Embiid. The Suns have a lot of problems of their own as of late, but a big thing tonight is not turning the ball over, as the 76ers force the fifth-most turnovers in the NBA at 14.5. Phoenix needs to take advantage of every game from here on out to get out of a play-in spot. I expect them to be more focused tonight, but some of these problems we are used to seeing to still persist.
Last Meeting (Nov. 4, 2023)
Kevin Durant’s 31 Points Not Enough as Suns lose to 76ers, 112-100
Team Matchup Notes
Everything to know before the Suns and 76ers face off for the second and final time this season:
Each team’s stats (via Suns):
Preview: Injury report
Injury report: Who’s in and who’s out for the Suns and 76ers tomorrow
*Get the BEST Phoenix sports insider information, exclusive content, and access to our seasonal magazines! SIGN UP HERE to unlock our premium content!*
Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
