11/25/12
After a week away from blogging, I’m baaaaaaaaaaack. The
76ers were coming off a loss last night in a game they could have won against
the Oklahoma City Thunder. How would the 76ers respond tonight against the
Suns, who are a mediocre team? Would they have tired legs from playing five
quarters last night? The Suns have the worst defense in the entire NBA, but a
top 10 offense. With one of the worst offenses in the NBA, could the 76ers
score over 100 points against the terrible Suns defense? As of tonight, the
only player injured on the Suns is Channing Frye. He will be out for the entire
season due to an enlarged heart. After re-spraining his ankle last night in the
loss against the Thunder, Jason Richardson suited up to play tonight.
The first half started off hot for the 76ers. They had an
8-0 lead to start the game and looked like they had the energy in the beginning
of this game. Unfortunately the Suns responded to that hot 76ers start with an
offensive spurt of their own. They made it a close game for the entire first
half. Both teams didn’t shoot particularly well, however the 76ers made 50% of
their three-point shots. The 76ers looked tired during a portion of the second
quarter. When Doug Collins’ players looked tired, he had to go deep into his
bench and play seldom-used rookies Arnett Moultrie and Maalik Wayns. I can’t
name any players for the Suns that stood out for me this half, but I can name a
standout star for the 76ers. That player was Jrue Holiday scoring 13 points and
dishing out six assists in the first half. Evan Turner collected 10 of his 16
points in the half. The 76ers led at halftime 46-41.
The 76ers and Suns were both clicking on offense in the
second half. The question was who would make more critical stops on defense?
The 76ers were in control for most of the game. However, every time the 76ers
went on a run to try and put the game away, the Suns would always have an
answer to make it interesting. In the third quarter, the 76ers largest lead was
10 points. The Suns made that lead evaporate quickly. The player that stepped
up for the 76ers was Holiday. He had a
double-double tonight. He scored 20 of his career-high 33 points in the second
half and finished with 13 assists. Along with Holiday
and Turner scoring double digit point totals tonight, Thaddeus Young had 10
points and Lavoy Allen scored 11 points in the game. Marcin Gortat was having
his way for the Suns in the second half scoring 13 of his 18 points in the
third quarter. That was when Spencer Hawes was defending him. Hawes is not an
aggressive, tough minded player on defense that could stop Gortat. Michael
Beasley scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half. He missed a very
critical shot that could have tied the game in the fourth quarter and forced
overtime. He missed a point blank layup that the 76ers rebounded. Also scoring
double figures in point total for the Suns were Goran Dragic, Luis Scola,
Jermaine O’Neal, and Sebastian Telfair. Dragic and Scola both had 10 points.
O’Neal finished with 11 and Telfair scored 12 points. The 76ers won tonight’s
game 104-101.
Overall, the 76ers came out with a much needed win. Once
again the 76ers got outrebounded by the Suns 41-33. That’s not terrible, but
the 76ers will have games like this because they are not a physical team. They
shot well and that is how they will have to win games. The 76ers took care of
the basketball, too, only committing eight turnovers. What the 76ers have to
keep doing is stay aggressive on offense and draw fouls like they did in the
second half tonight. They can get to the free throw line more often and have a
chance of scoring points instead of trying to shoot jump shots and hope they
fall in. At least the 76ers gave their fans free big macs tonight for scoring
over 100 points. I have to give a shoutout to Jermaine O’Neal. Everyone thought
he was over the hill and finished, but he drank from the fountain of youth and
has played well for the Suns.
With his last two
performances, should Jrue Holiday be in the category of top point guards? Sound
off and stay tuned for my next entry on Tuesday when the 76ers host the Dallas Mavericks.
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