Sharpshooting Joel Embiid carries surging 76ers past Suns
Joel Embiid scored 33 points and made a season-high four 3-pointers, Tyrese Maxey added 29 points and the Philadelphia 76ers built a 19-point lead and held off the host Phoenix Suns 109-103 on Saturday.
Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 18 points and added three 3-pointers for the 76ers, who have won six of seven games and improved to 3-1 on a five-game road trip that concludes Monday in Portland.
Dillon Brooks scored 28 points, Devin Booker had 21 points and nine assists in his return from a seven-game absence, and Royce O'Neale had 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Suns, who have lost three of four and three straight home games.
The 76ers built a 66-47 lead on Embiid's three-point play early in the third quarter and led 87-71 three minutes into the fourth before the Suns came back.
Brooks' three-point play brought the Suns with six at 101-95 with 1:31 left and Booker made two free throws to cut the deficit to 101-97.
Booker countered a Maxey 3-pointer with three free throws to keep the Sixers' lead at four, 104-100, before Maxey made all three free throws for a 107-100 lead with 17.6 left.
Booker made three free throws of his own to make it 107-103 but Maxey made two for a 109-103 lead with 11.8 seconds left before the Suns turned the ball over on an inbounds play.
Embiid was 4 of 7 from 3-point range and made 11 of 13 free throws.
The Suns made 11 of 46 3-pointers, including one of their first 19. Brooks and Collin Gillespie were each 2 of 10 from distance.
Embiid had nine rebounds and the 76ers had a 50-40 rebounding edge, the fourth straight game in which the Suns have been out-rebounded.
Mark Williams added 11 points and 11 rebounds in the loss.
Philadelphia gained a split of the season series and is 15-9 on the road. Only Oklahoma City has fewer road losses, seven.
Embiid and Maxey had eight points and two 3-pointers apiece when the 76ers took a 24-22 lead after the first quarter. Maxey scored six points and Oubre and Quentin Grimes had five apiece on a 17-2 run for a 44-28 lead.
Embiid's third 3-pointer of the first half helped the 76ers' to a 58-47 halftime lead. The Suns closed to 81-71 after three quarters.