Suns at 76ers
Phoenix has done well to take advantage of lesser opponents so far during its season-long six-game road trip and it has a great chance to keep alive that trend on Friday with a visit to winless Philadelphia. Following a setback at the Los Angeles Clippers to begin the sojourn, the Suns rallied to knock off Boston and then eked out an 88-86 victory in Detroit on Wednesday. Phoenix held the Pistons to a 37.9 percent mark from the floor to post its best defensive showing since March 14.
Following an 0-4 road trip that featured only one game decided by fewer than 25 points, the 76ers returned home to drop a 101-90 decision to the Celtics on Wednesday, continuing the worst start in franchise history since an 0-15 beginning in 1972-73. Tony Wroten scored 21 points for Philadelphia, which is seven losses from tying the worst start in NBA history. The Suns averaged 119.5 points in taking both meetings last season.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Arizona (Phoenix), CSN Philadelphia
ABOUT THE SUNS (7-5): Isaiah Thomas is the primary reason that Phoenix's bench entered Thursday ranked second in the league in scoring (43.3 points), but the third-year guard is mired in a woeful slump. He was 1-for-9 from the floor in the win over the Pistons and is 8-for-36 over a four-game stretch. Thomas has made 35 straight free throws for the league's best foul-shooting unit (82.2 percent).
ABOUT THE 76ERS (0-11): Philadelphia head coach Brett Brown has consistently shuffled lineups and rotations depending on the night, and on Wednesday he gave very little time to K.J. McDaniels, despite the guard's production. McDaniels made all three of his shots - including two 3-pointers - and had two rebounds and a block in a season-low 11 minutes off the bench. By comparison, starting guard Hollis Thompson had five points on 1-of-6 shooting in 27 minutes.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Suns G Goran Dragic averaged 22.5 points on 59.3 percent shooting in the two games against Philadelphia last season.
2. While Phoenix leads the league in foul shooting, Philadelphia ranks last at 64.3 percent.
3. 76ers C Henry Sims is averaging 11.5 points and 6.5 rebounds over a six-game span after posting averages of 6.2 points and 5.6 boards in his first five contests.