Suns at 76ers
It’s rare this season that the Philadelphia 76ers run into a team in a worst situation than themselves, but the Phoenix Suns might give them a run for their money right now. The Suns will try to put together back-to-back wins for the first time since early December when they kick off a four-game road trip by visiting the 76ers on Tuesday.
Archie Goodwin’s last-second 3-pointer on Saturday gave Phoenix a 98-95 win over the Atlanta Hawks and marked just its second victory in the last 17 games. “We just needed a win,” Goodwin told reporters. “We could’ve beaten the Boys and Girls Club. We kept a cool head and executed at the end and got stops when we needed to and I hit the shot. It’s just a matter of us continually being focused and staying in the moment, not thinking about what they just did and getting mad and pointing fingers.” The 76ers had their own chance at back-to-back wins thwarted in a 112-92 loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday. That game was originally scheduled for Saturday but was pushed back a day due to the blizzards pounding the area over the weekend.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Arizona (Phoenix), CSN Philadelphia
ABOUT THE SUNS (14-31): Veteran center Tyson Chandler tied a franchise record with 27 rebounds in Saturday’s triumph and hoped the tight win could spark his younger teammates moving forward. “Not only did we need to get a win but we need to see ourselves playing the right way and getting a win,” Chandler told reporters. “It was really big for our young players. That’s the only way you learn. Young players in this league, they have to see it to believe it.” Chandler is averaging 23.5 rebounds while logging an average of 40 minutes in the last two games due to injuries in the Phoenix frontcourt.
ABOUT THE 76ERS (6-39): Philadelphia shot 39.3 percent from the field against the Celtics and committed 24 turnovers after winning two of its previous three games. The 76ers young frontcourt of Nerlens Noel and rookie center Jahlil Okafor totaled 22 points and 15 boards on Sunday and will go head-to-head against Chandler on Tuesday. Okafor managed 10 points in 30 minutes against Boston to snap a streak of three straight outings with 20 or more.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. 76ers SF Robert Covington is averaging 17 points in the last five games after putting up 5.5 in the first six games this month.
2. Suns PG Brandon Knight (groin) will miss his third consecutive game.
3. Philadelphia earned its first road win with a 111-104 triumph at Phoenix on Dec. 26.