NBA 2018-19: 3 Talking points from Philadelphia 76ers Win Over Phoenix Suns

After winning five of seven, the Phoenix Suns have now been handed their fourth straight loss of a seven-game homestand, this one by the Philadelphia 76ers. The visitors survived a late rally by the lowly Suns to clinch an impressive 132-127 road victory, improving their road record to 9-11 on the season.

Despite having the same number of wins now as the Indiana Pacers, the Sixers lag behind in win percentage and are currently 4th on the East leaderboard, with a 25-14(0.641) win-loss record. After having beaten the sturdy Clippers side recently, the Sixers coasted through their opposition at the Talking Stick Resort Arena to record their sixth win of the last ten games.

On the other hand, the Suns have now lost six of their last seven matchups, their 9-30(0.231) record good enough to be the second worst in the league right now. With their most recent loss, the Suns have now dropped 15 home and 15 road games this season, with the inevitable tanking procedure sitting right around the corner.

Let's draw out some key takeaways from this imposing road win for Philly over the dispirited Suns.

#1 Embiid erupts for another double-double, Simmons drops season-high in points

Embiid's is leading the league in double-doubles this season.

JoJo was allegedly playing with a sore left knee, but his stat-line for this matchup screamed of basketball finesse. He matched his season-high total of 42 points, shooting 12-of-23 from the floor and making 17 of his 19 free-throws. He scored 30 of his 42 in the first half itself, to go along with 14 of his 18 boards,

"Now eight of those types of first halves (for Embiid) this year," Coach Brown said, "just incredibly dominant."

Embiid pulled down 18 boards(four of them on the offensive glass), along with three steals and a couple of blocks, as this was his sixth straight game with a 20+ point score.

Sophomore Ben Simmons seized the opportunity to score a season-high 29 points against the Suns, also contributing six assists in his comprehensive 40 minutes of playtime.

The inclusion of Joel into the lineup(after return from injury) has had a visible effect on Philly's rotation, keeping in mind that they suffered a season-worst 34-point loss against the Trailblazers in his absence. They are 2-0 since the big man's return.

#2 Devin Booker's near-season-high performance was all in vain

Devin Booker signed a five-year, $158 million maximum contract with the Suns.

The Suns have made clear that they want to build a team with 21-year-old Booker as the centerpiece by signing him to a max contract which will be in effect from the 2019-20 season.

Since his return from the hamstring injury back in December, this was Booker's 10th straight game scoring at least 20 points, as the franchise cornerstone is averaging almost 30 points across his previous ten games.

Against the Sixers, he finished with a team-high score of 37 points and dished out 8 dimes as well. His valiant effort, although marred by a 2-of-7 shooting tragedy from distance, was worth applauding, as he sank 15 of his 17 free-throws.

He shot 10-of-22 from the floor, aided and abetted only by star rookie DeAndre Ayton who got himself another double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds.

#3 The Suns almost pulled through in the final quarter of the game

Phoenix Suns are dead-last in the Western Conference.

Although Philly led by 23 at halftime and as many as 23 in the third quarter, they would have had a few goosebumps by what transpired in the upcoming minutes of the game.

The hosts finished with a 13-2 run to end the third period, cutting the cushion down to 17 points before the final quarter started. Some quality scoring and a 19-5 run helped Phoenix get to within three points of the Sixers with few seconds left on the clock.

JJ Redick hit a couple of crunch free-throws to put the game out of their reach, but boy, had they avoided a trainwreck of a fourth quarter as the Suns outscored the Sixers 40-28.

JoJo admitted to the leak that let Phoenix back into the game and within striking distance but being the troll he is, he had to be cocky about it,

"We love to make the game interesting," Embiid said. "We've done it a lot, but give credit to Phoenix. They hit a lot of 3s in the third quarter and they got back in the game. It was a fun game but we have to make sure next time we need to finish and push the lead even further."