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Sixers look for 4th straight win over Suns (Dec 23, 2016)
The Philadelphia 76ers packed something with which they are not fully acquainted -- a winning streak -- for the start of a four-game Western swing Friday night against the Phoenix Suns.
The 76ers (7-21) have lost three of four and 11 of 14, but they are an entirely different animal when they show up to face the Suns (8-21).
Philadelphia has won three straight against Phoenix -- two to sweep last year's season series and 120-105 last month in one of the 76ers' most impressive showings of the season.
And now the 76ers are healthier than they have been in three years, with so much depth up front that Nerlens Noel, one of their prized prospects, is having trouble getting playing time.
That is because 76ers coach Brett Brown is able to play his version of the Twin Towers -- Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor -- together in his front line. The duo started together the past four games.
The embarrassment of riches reached the point in Tuesday's home loss to New Orleans that 76ers fans gave Noel a rousing ovation when he finally entered the game.
Brown gave the tandem of Embiid and Noel a long look at practice Wednesday. He liked what he saw, but then realized that meant not playing Okafor, one of the foundations of what the 76ers hope will be a brighter future.
"The bottom line is: We have these three bigs," Brown said after Wednesday's practice. "We need to experiment. We need to try different things.
"It will be on the group of bigs to find ways to co-exist and manage it. I think they are great. We look forward to seeing (the different) combinations."
Noel sat out the first game against Phoenix as he was finishing up a rehab following knee surgery.
Turns out, the 76ers didn't need him. Embiid dominated the Suns with 26 points, and he and Okafor combined for five blocks.
The 76ers also did it without their 2016 top pick, forward Ben Simmons, who broke his right foot in training camp. He is expected to make his NBA debut next month.
The Suns can relate to having too many healthy bodies. Coach Earl Watson now finds himself trying to find more minutes for TJ Warren, who came off the bench the last three games following a 12-game absence caused by a head injury.
After two lackluster efforts, Warren exploded for 19 points Wednesday in Phoenix's 125-111 home loss to Houston, the Suns' fourth consecutive defeat.
Watson has been starting P.J. Tucker, his best perimeter defender, in place of Warren.
One option would be to swap offense for defense, even though the Suns already rate as one of the league's worst defensive teams.
Another would be to sit rookie Marquese Chriss, who is averaging just 6.8 points per game, but that wouldn't be consistent with the Suns' plan to develop their younger talent.
Watson strongly suggested Wednesday night he is not planning to demote Tucker.
"We look at our team and what we need to build upon," he said. "We know we need toughness. We know we need defensive-minded players. We already have one, so we want to continue to build around (Tucker's) personality on defense."
The Suns have allowed 12 consecutive opponents to score 100 or more points.
Even the 76ers, one of the lowest-scoring teams in the league at 98.1 points per game, have burned Phoenix for an average of 114.7 points in their three straight wins over the Suns.
