National Basketball Association
Philadelphia 111, Phoenix 104
When: 9:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 26, 2015
Where: Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
Officials: #27 Mitchell Ervin, #61 Courtney Kirkland, #13 Monty McCutchen
Attendance: 17548

PHOENIX -- Philadelphia point guard Ish Smith arrived a few hours before game time, plenty of time to take charge.

Playing his first game with the 76ers, Smith had 14 points and five assists while directing the 76ers to their first road victory of the season, 111-104 over the Phoenix Suns at Gila River Arena on Saturday.

"I think everybody can see how dynamic a player Ish is," 76ers coach Brett Brown said. "Giving a player of that caliber the ball at the end of the game was great for us."

Smith's finger roll from the lane gave the 76ers a 108-100 lead with 1:52 remaining, and the Suns (12-20) never got closer than six points thereafter.

Guard Isaiah Canaan scored 22 points and reserve guard Nick Stauskas had 17 for the 76ers (2-30), whose only other victory was a 103-91 victory at home against the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 1.

"It was good, but there is another level I want to get to," said Smith, acquired from New Orleans for two draft choices on Christmas Eve.

"We still can work on closing the game out a little bit better, but other than that it was a pretty good win."

Guard Brandon Knight had 21 points for the Suns, who lost point guard and leading scorer Eric Bledsoe to what was diagnosed as a left knee sprain with 7:40 remaining in the second quarter.

Bledsoe was to undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the injury, but coach Jeff Hornacek said after an early evaluation the injury does not appear to involve the anterior cruciate ligament.

"It's not a torn ACL or anything like that," Hornacek said. "That was stable."

Bledsoe leads the Suns with a 20.4 scoring average and was 15th in the league in scoring entering the game. He missed 33 games in 2013-14 season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery to repair torn meniscus in his right knee.

Reserve guard Devin Booker had 19 points and forward Jon Leuer had 14 points and nine rebounds for the Suns (12-20), who have lost four in a row and six of their last seven.

"It's pretty embarrassing, point blank, period," Suns forward P.J. Tucker said.

The Suns have lost to 11-20 Portland, 12-18 Milwaukee and 12-17 Denver at home since Dec. 11.

"Yeah, obviously it's probably a low point for us," Hornacek said. "It seems like they are lacking a little bit of confidence. We have to figure out a way to get that confidence back in them and continue to play."

Canaan made four 3-pointers and Stauskas made three as the 76ers were 12-of-27 from 3-point range.

Center Nerlens Noel had 14 points and 11 rebounds and reserve forward Carl Landry had 16 points for the 76ers, whose last road victory was March 25, 2015, in Denver. They lost their last five road games last season and the first 18 this year.

"Guys kind of refreshed themselves, and we want to come in with a better mindset the second third of the season," Noel said.

Stauskas had eight points, including two 3-pointers in the final two minutes of the third quarter, as the 76ers scored the final 12 points of the period for an 85-75 lead.

The 76ers stretched their lead to 97-81 when forward Hollis Thompson hit his third 3-pointer with seven minutes left in the game.

The 76ers went on a 20-4 run fueled by seven points from Canaan to pull away from a 6-6 tie. The Suns trailed 29-15 after the first quarter and never were closer than four points in the first half.

The Suns' biggest lead was three, 73-70, when forward P.J. Tucker made a three-point play with 3:27 left in the third quarter.

NOTES: Philadelphia G Ish Smith played 26 games with the 76ers last season before signing with Washington in the offseason. "We'll inch him back into this," coach Brett Brown said. ... Suns F Markieff Morris served the first game of his two-game, team-imposed suspension for throwing a towel at coach Jeff Hornacek when he was removed with 9:47 remaining in a 104-96 loss to Denver on Wednesday. Morris also will miss a home game against Cleveland on Monday. ... 76ers C Jahlil Okafor (right knee) missed the game and was replaced in the starting lineup by F Jerami Grant, with PF Nerlens Noel sliding into the center spot. ... Suns F P.J. Tucker returned to the lineup after coming off the bench the last two games. F P.J. Warren returned to a reserve role. ... 76ers assistant coach Mike D'Antoni, a former Suns head coach, was on the Philadelphia bench for the first time since being hired last week.
Top Game Performances
 
Philadelphia   Phoenix
Isaiah Canaan 22 Scoring Brandon Knight 21
Ish Smith 5 Assists Brandon Knight 7
Nerlens Noel 11 Rebounds Tyson Chandler 10
Isaiah Canaan 6 Free Throws Made Brandon Knight 6
Nerlens Noel 3 Steals Brandon Knight 3
Nerlens Noel 2 Blocks Alex Len 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Philadelphia 111 48.1 12-27 23-27 20 48 8 9 22
Phoenix 104 38.6 10-27 26-34 17 41 3 10 15
Upcoming Games
  • Phoenix will play their next game at home against Cleveland. The Suns have a W/L % of .308 after a win and .421 after a loss.
  • Philadelphia will play their next game on the road against Utah. The 76ers have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .065 after a loss.