Sixers fall apart, Tyrese Maxey struggles, and other takeaways in Sixers’ loss to Suns
The Suns dominated on the boards, out-rebounding the Sixers, 55-40, including 12 offensive rebounds and 21 total in the first quarter alone.
The 76ers fell apart in the second quarter.
The Phoenix Suns destroyed them on the glass. And Tyrese Maxey struggled mightily after dominating for three straight games.
Those three things stood out in Wednesday’s 115-102 loss to the Suns at the Footprint Center.
Second-quarter blues
The Sixers took a 23-21 lead into the second quarter. That lead didn’t last long, though. The Suns made 14-of-21 shots — including 8-of-12 three-pointers — while outscoring the Sixers, 39-24, in the second quarter.
Philly made just 9-of-23 shots in the quarter. The Sixers also missed 4-of-6 free throws in the decisive quarter.
Maxey was held scoreless on 0-for-3 shooting during the quarter. Taking advantage, the Suns built a commanding 16-point cushion with 32.2 seconds left in the half. Phoenix extended it’s lead to 24 points (90-66) with 10.6 left in the third quarter. The Sixers pulled within 10 points late, but couldn’t fully overcome their second quarter.
Rebounding woes
Second-quarter shortcomings weren’t the only thing that doomed the Sixers (38-31). They had a tough time rebounding.
Phoenix had a 55-40 rebounding advantage, dominating from the start of the game. They had 12 offensive rebounds and 21 total in the first quarter. Meanwhile, the Sixers had 10 rebounds — two offensive — in the first quarter. Devin Booker had four offensive rebounds in the quarter, and finished with a new career-high five offensive rebounds and nine total, along with 18 points and 11 assists.
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Maxey’s struggles
Maxey was one of the NBA’s hottest players, scoring 30 points in each of the Sixers’ last three games. But he didn’t come close to extending that streak.
The All-Star guard finished with a season-low six points on 3-for-13 shooting — including going 0-for-4 on three-pointers. Maxey had a tough time getting by defenders and looked a little out of sorts. In the first half, he had four points while missing eight of his 10 shots. The All-Star didn’t play in the fourth quarter.
The Sixers are going to need him to snap out of his funk to have any chance of beating the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday.