Two teams looking to avoid their conferences’ play-in tournaments meet when the Philadelphia 76ers visit the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday.
Teams ranked seventh through tenth place participate in the tournament. Philadelphia (38-30) holds the sixth seed in the East, while Phoenix (39-29) holds the eighth seed in the West.
The Sixers begin a four-game West Coast trip after earning a 98-91 home victory over the Miami Heat on Monday. Tyrese Maxey had 30 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds for Philadelphia, while Kelly Oubre Jr. added 22 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks.
Philadelphia has gotten a spark from center Mo Bamba, who has started nine of the last 10 games. The 7-footer had eight points, four rebounds and three assists in 19 minutes against Miami.
“I think Mo is better,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said. “I think he’s a little fitter. He’s been able to do a lot longer stints than I think he was just a month ago.”
Bamba is seeing more playing time in place of star Joel Embiid, who missed the last 22 games while recovering from a torn meniscus in his left knee. The Sixers hope Embiid can return before the end of the regular season.
“I think he’s getting back into shape and into rhythm pretty quickly,” Nurse said. “I obviously think the more games we have with him, the better. I also think we want to get to a point where he’s as healthy as possible in the playoffs or play-in.”
Philadelphia expects forward Tobias Harris to return to the lineup Wednesday after missing the last two games with a sprained right ankle.
The Sixers look to snap a winning streak against Phoenix after winning 112-100 at Philadelphia on November 4.
Phoenix has lost three of its last five games, including a 140-129 defeat at Milwaukee on Sunday. The Suns allowed a season-high 82 points in the first half to the Bucks, who played without injured star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“We were trying to steal, but we were just getting our ass kicked,” Suns coach Frank Vogel said. “Sometimes it happens.”
Bradley Beal scored 28 points in the loss, while Grayson Allen added 25. Kevin Durant was held to 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting.
Durant has averaged 12 points over the past two games while shooting 36 percent from the field and 2 of 9 (22.2 percent) from 3-point range.
Durant isn’t concerned about his mini shooting slump, but he knows the Suns need to make dramatic improvements on the defensive end. Milwaukee shot 54.3 percent from the field and 24 of 41 (58.5 percent) from beyond the arc on Sunday.
“Defensively, we lost that game,” Durant said. “They made more 3s than us. They were hot in the first half. My shot attempts, my points. I know it’s a topic of discussion, but we scored enough points in my opinion. “
Durant (28,588 points) enters Wednesday’s contest nine points shy of passing Shaquille O’Neal (28,596) for eighth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
