Suns surge past 76ers for 123-116 win
PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns erased a 14-point deficit, pulling away late for a 123-116 win on Friday night over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Guard Eric Bledsoe had 24 points and 11 assists. Guard Devin Booker, running his double-digit scoring streak to 26 games, had 23 points for the Suns (9-21).
Booker's 3-pointer with 3:05 left gave the Suns a decisive 112-100 lead.
Forward Joel Embiid had 27 points and seven rebounds for the Sixers (7-22). Guard Sergio Rodriguez added 21 points. Robert Covington had 16 points and forward Ersan Ilyasova scored 14.
This was the Suns' largest comeback win of the season. They trailed 61-47 late in the first half.
The Sixers killed themselves with five turnovers early in the fourth quarter as the Suns -- down 85-81 entering the fourth quarter -- pulled ahead 100-92 midway through the fourth quarter.
The Sixers were starting a four-game Western trip. They don't play at home until Jan. 3 vs. Minnesota.
The Sixers led for most of the game until their late surge. The Suns' biggest lead was two points (3-1) just moments after tipoff.
The Sixers rolled to a 31-24 lead heading into the second quarter as guard Gerald Henderson was 3 of 3 from the field and had seven points.
Embiid, though he was just 1 of 5 from the floor, kept the Suns off balance by drawing four fouls going 5 of 5 at the free throw line.
The Sixers expanded the lead to 66-53 at the half by making 14 of 21 shots from the field in the second quarter. They helped themselves by going 16 of 16 from the line in the first half compared with just 9-for-15 for the Suns.
But the Sixers went cold to start the second half and the Suns hit four 3-pointers in a 16-2 run that put them in front 69-68. The Sixers pulled back in front at 85-81 by the end of the third quarter, boosted by two 3-pointers from Ilyasova.
NOTES: Suns G Devin Booker has scored in double figures in 25 straight games dating to Nov. 2. In his previous three games, he averaged 25.7 points and 5.0 assists. ... Suns C Tyson Chandler is putting up some of the best numbers of his career. He is averaging 11.5 rebounds, No. 7 in the NBA and the third highest average of his career. He also is shooting a career-high 70.3 percent from the field. ... The Sixers played without G Nik Stauskas (knee) and F Richaun Holmes (concussion protocol). ... The Sixers rank No. 4 in the NBA with 5.79 blocks per game. ... Sixers F Joel Embiid is making a strong early chase for rookie of the year. He leads first-year players in scoring (17.9 per game), rebounds (7.4) and blocks (2.42). He has done so while averaging a modest 24.3 minutes per game.