Joel Embiid, Sixers react to stopping skid in home win over Suns
PHILADELPHIA–The Philadelphia 76ers were able to come up with a much-needed 100-88 win over the Phoenix Suns at home where they were able to have a lot of success on the defensive end of the floor. The win stopped a 2-game skid and it allowed them to get back on track a bit.
The Sixers won despite shooting just 38.8% from the floor and 12-for-32 from deep. They also committed 16 turnovers leading to 17 Phoenix points so this was an impressive win for them considering the circumstances.
It also helped that the Sixers got Joel Embiid back on the floor. The big fella poured in 33 points despite shooting just 8-for-21 from the floor and it’s due to him shooting 16-for-16 from the foul line. He also had 10 rebounds and five assists as he did a little bit of everything on the floor.
“I was OK,” said Embiid. “I didn’t shoot well from the field, under 50%, so I just gotta get back to myself and be aggressive, but as a team, I thought we missed a lot of easy shots and a lot of wide-open shots, but defensively, we were pretty good.”
The Suns had a tough time finishing at the rim due to Embiid’s presence and that allowed the Sixers to play much freer out on the floor. Philadelphia really needed a game like this one and it helped that the big man was available against a tough team like Phoenix.
“He was good,” said PJ Tucker of Embiid. “He was effective. He usually is. He played well. He was all over, he had good energy on the defensive end, especially. That helped us.”
Embiid was a big reason why the Suns weren’t able to get DeAndre Ayton going on the offensive end down the stretch. Ayton shot just 1-for-5 in the fourth as Embiid, as well as backup Paul Reed when the big fella was resting, were able to close it out.
A big performance for a team that has struggled on the defensive end to begin the season.
“Our season started tonight,” joked Embiid. “The Phillies are done so I enjoyed watching them so our season started tonight. The other games don’t count.”
Joel Embiid when asked about the team’s poor defense to begin the season: “Our season started tonight. All those other games didn’t count.” #Sixers
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) November 8, 2022
The Sixers will take on the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday on the road.
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