Amid a spiral down the Western Conference standings, the Phoenix Suns made a drastic lineup change ahead of Monday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers, sending Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkić to bench.
Mason Plumlee and rookie Ryan Dunn took their place in the starting lineup. For the first 24 minutes Monday night, the move did not yield results. But following a disastrous shooting start from the field, the Suns caught fire for a 109-99 win on the road. Beal led the way after his move to the bench.
Phoenix scored just 16 points in the first quarter and went into halftime with a 46-42 deficit after shooting 38.1% from the field in the first two quarters. But the Suns took control with a 36-27 run in the third quarter en route to a dominant second half.
The victory came against a shorthanded 76ers team playing without Joel Embiid, Andre Drummond and Kyle Lowry. But it snapped a four-game losing streak for the Suns’ first win since Christmas. Phoenix entered Monday night having lost seven of its previous eight games and 10 of its previous 13. The slide dropped the star-laden Suns to 15-18, good for 12th place in the West.
Beal thrived in his role off the bench with a team-high 25 points alongside five assists, one steal and one block while shooting 10 of 15 from the field and 3 of 6 from 3. He scored 20 of his 25 points after halftime as he sparked the third-quarter rally to put the 76ers in control.
His effort countered a poor showing from All-Star guard Devin Booker, who hit 1 of 10 field goals in a two-point first half. Booker was marginally better after halftime, but continued to struggle from the field and the line. The normally reliable sharpshooter finished with 10 points and 10 assists while shooting 3 of 16 from the field and missing half of his six free throws.
Tyus Jones also struggled in the Suns’ starting backcourt and finished with five points while shooting 2 of 7 from the field. Kevin Durant countered with an efficient 23 points on 14 field goal attempts alongside six rebounds and five assists. But it was the Beal-led bench that was the difference in Phoenix’s win.
Thanks in part to a combination of Beal playing off the bench and the 76ers being down three rotation players, the Suns’ bench overwhelmed the 76ers’ by a 54-7 scoring margin.
There’s no telling at this point how long Beal or Nurkić will remain on the bench. But as long as it’s working, don’t expect them to return to the starting lineup.
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