Bradley Beal Impresses Fans Coming Off Bench in Suns’ Win vs. 76ers with Embiid Out
Scott Polacek@@ScottPolacekFeatured Columnist IVJanuary 7, 2025
David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images
Sometimes changes work.
Phoenix Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer decided to bring Bradley Beal off the bench for Monday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers, and the guard turned in an excellent performance to spearhead a 109-99 victory at Wells Fargo Center.
He finished with 25 points and five assists on 10-of-15 shooting from the field and 3-of-6 shooting from deep as the Suns snapped a four-game losing streak and improved to 16-18 overall. Kevin Durant added 23 points, six rebounds and five assists as the visitors picked up a much-needed win.
As for the 76ers, they were without Joel Embiid (left foot sprain) and Kyle Lowry (right hip soreness) and fell to 14-20 overall and 1-3 in the last four as their disappointing season continued.
Kelly Oubre Jr. (26 points and 11 rebounds) and Tyrese Maxey (31 points and 10 assists) did what they could, but Paul George was just 5-of-18 from the field and struggled to make up for the loss of Embiid.
But much of the love on social media went to Beal, who drew rave reviews for his performance off the bench:
Phoenix Suns @SunsReal Deal Beal. pic.twitter.com/blQid7GMqQ
Phoenix Suns @SunsBrad getting buckets! pic.twitter.com/Vcf9QRCbCA
A ✩ @adryanashton6th man Brad Beal is COOKING pic.twitter.com/aDF2BnVzDf
Espo @EspoHave to give it to Beal. He is putting any frustration at being benched to good use.
John Voita @DarthVoitaI’m liking Bench Brad Beal
Austin @ChefTrillieAye man Beal is hooping 😭
RB @RyB_311Bradley Beal on fire
Alex Fuentes @aviatorinflightBrad talking to Ryan and giving him some words of encouragement before coming out is why Beal is a consummate pro. Having one of his best games of the season and he is making sure that the guy that replaced him in the starting lineup knows that he supports him.
DHottest @FallenFounder2 quick takes.
Bradley Beal looks like he is legit having fun as the 6th man. That makes me happy.
I still think the Suns won the NBA draft. Dunn and Oso are just quality guys and Suns got both late
Rikar @Rikar___Bradley Beal has been ELECTRIC tonight off the bench ⚡️
This was a showdown between two teams that entered the season with championship aspirations but have actually been among the most disappointing in the league. Philadelphia is trying to stabilize itself following a 4-14 start, while Phoenix is attempting to avoid slipping further away from the Western Conference playoff picture.
With that as the backdrop, the Suns attempted to change things up by starting Ryan Dunn and Mason Plumlee and bringing Beal and Jusuf Nurkić off the bench.
It didn’t work out of the gates, as the 76ers jumped out to a double-digit lead in the first five minutes of the game before Beal and Nurkić took the floor. But the visitors responded as they spent the majority of the first half in comeback mode and cut the deficit to four by intermission.
Phoenix built on that momentum in the third quarter in large part because of Beal.
Perhaps buoyed by his ability to read and react to the game from his bench role, the three-time All-Star took over as a scorer for stretches. He drained multiple three-pointers and looked to get into the lane, which opened up some looks for Durant and helped make up for Devin Booker’s poor shooting performance (3-of-16 from the field).
Phoenix Suns @SunsOff the glass 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/SaYyVeZmtb
Phoenix Suns @SunsRISE UP, KD 💥
🗳️ Vote Him to All-Star: https://t.co/JHRsjGRYgt pic.twitter.com/AhXqZEClYB
By the time Beal assisted a Monte Morris triple and followed that up with a midrange jumper early in the fourth quarter, the Suns were up by double digits.
The game was never truly in doubt down the stretch, but multiple key shots from Durant in the final minutes helped put away the win.
This is just a one-game sample size and may not work out over the course of the entire season, but bringing in Beal off the bench gave the Suns some temporary momentum that they will look to build on when they face the Charlotte Hornets on the road Tuesday.
