Getty Suns' Chris Paul and Bismack Biyombo
The Phoenix Suns snapped their three-game losing streak on March 25 by beating the Philadelphia 76ers at home by a final score of 125-105. Devin Booker led the way with 29 points, while Chris Paul finished with 13 points and eight assists.
The star of the night, though, was Bismack Biyombo. Going up against Sixers superstar Joel Embiid, Biyombo posted a double-double (17 points and 13 rebounds). The big man also had five blocks.
“Bizzy plays hard,” Paul said about Biyombo. “That’s a talent. He’s in the right spot at the right time and his energy, we feed off it. He covers up a lot of our mistakes on the defensive end.”
Biyombo, who is starting since Deandre Ayton is out, picked the perfect night to have one of his best games of the season. The Suns improved to 39-35, jumping back into the fourth spot in the Western Conference standings.
“When things are not going well, what do you do?” Biyombo said. “You’ve just got to put your head down and keep working and eventually we’ll catch a break.”
Monty Williams Was Fined $20,000 for Criticizing Referees
Suns head coach Monty Williams has been fined $20,000 for public criticism of referees. Williams went off on the refs who worked the Suns-Los Angeles Lakers game on March 22.
“I can sit here and rant and rave about what I feel like is not a fair whistle,” Williams said. “It’s just not. 46 free-throws. We’re attacking the rim. I’m getting explanations about we’re taking too many jump shots, midrange jump shots. We’re playing a physical game. They had 27 free-throws in the first half. They end up with 46. When do you see a game with 46 free-throws for one team? Like, that’s just not right. I don’t care how you slice it. It’s happening to us too much. Other teams are reaching, other teams are hitting and we’re not getting the same call and I’m tired of it. It’s old. 46 to 20 free-throws with Devin Booker on our team. He gets 12. I mean, our bench had no free-throws. It’s just, I’m over it. Been talking about the same thing for a while. Doesn’t matter what team it is. I’m tired of talking about free-throws. Our guys have to do their job, we understand that, but that’s a huge disparity. 46 free-throws, and I’ll say it again, 46 to 20. That’s it. That’s all I gotta say.”
The Lakers shot 46 free-throws to the Suns’ 20 on March 22, outscoring Phoenix by 21 points at the charity stripe. Los Angeles won by a final score of 122-111.
Devin Booker: ‘I Understand the Agendas That Are Being Pushed’
Booker, who finished with 33 points against the Lakers, didn’t mince words during his postgame press conference on March 22. The All-Star guard said he understands the “agendas that are being pushed.”
“After the game is controlled in the first half and we’re down 20 to 30 free-throws, it’s kind of easier for them to give us some after that,” Booker said. “Like Chris (Paul) said, I watch these games every night, so I kind of understand what’s going on. I understand the agendas that are being pushed and trying to just get that out of my head and go out there and compete.”
The Suns are back in action on March 27 when they take on the Utah Jazz.