PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bradley Beal came off the bench for the first time in nine years and scored 25 points as the Phoenix Suns ended a four-game skid with a 109-99 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night, Jan. 6.

Beal was shifted to a reserve role before the game and scored 20 points in the second half as the Suns overcame an early 12-point deficit and won for the second time in nine games.

Kevin Durant scored 23 points and Ryan Dunn 15 for the Suns.

Tyrese Maxey had 31 points and 10 assists for the Sixers, who were missing Joel Embiid, who was sidelined with a left foot sprain. Kelly Oubre added 26 points as Philadelphia lost for the third time in four games.

Looking to jumpstart his lineup, Phoenix coach Mike Budenholzer took longtime starters Beal and Jusuf Nurkic out of the lineup and had them come off the bench. The Suns trailed after the first quarter for the fifth consecutive game, but the move paid off as the Phoenix bench outscored Philadelphia’s reserves 54-7.

With Embiid out of the lineup for the 21st game this season, Philadelphia turned to Guerschon Yabusele to pick up some of the offensive slack from the center position. Yabusele finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds as the 76ers fell to 7-14 without Embiid.

Meanwhile in Minneapolis, Anthony Edwards scored 28 of his 37 points in the second half and the Minnesota Timberwolves overcame a 19-point first-half deficit to beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 108-106.

Edwards, who had a career-high 53 points in Saturday’s loss at Detroit, finished 14 of 29 from the field, including a pair of late 3-pointers for his eighth game this season of 30-plus points.

Naz Reid scored 18 off the bench and Donte DiVincenzo added 15 for Minnesota, which ended a three-game slide. Rudy Gobert had eight points and a game-high 18 rebounds.

Norman Powell led Los Angeles with 25 points, James Harden added 22 and Ivica Zubac had 17 points and 16 rebounds. The Clippers have lost three of four.

With the Wolves down by one, Edwards swished a step-back 3 with 1:12 to play. After Zubac missed a layup for Los Angeles, Edwards drained another 3 with 34.4 seconds left for a 106-101 lead.

In Memphis, Jaren Jackson Jr. had 35 points, 13 rebounds and five assists to lead the Grizzlies to a 119-104 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

Scotty Pippen Jr. finished with 18 points, while Jaylen Wells added 17 points and 11 rebounds as Memphis won for the 10th time in the last 11 home games.

P.J. Washington led the Mavericks with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Naji Marshall finished with 16 points, while Klay Thompson and Jaden Hardy added 15 points each. Dallas has lost five straight.

In Chicago, Coby White made a go-ahead layup with 47 seconds left, and the Bulls topped Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs, 114-110.

Zach LaVine had 35 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for Chicago, which trailed by 19 before rallying in the fourth quarter. Nikola Vucevic had 24 points and 11 boards, and White finished with 23 points.

After White’s layup gave the Bulls their first lead at 111-110, Devin Vassell threw away the ball for San Antonio. White then drove into the lane and dunked over a late-arriving Wembanyama, delighting the crowd of 18,886 at the United Center.

In Toronto, Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo needed three stitches to close a cut near the base of his right pinkie against Toronto, and returned to the game to finish his fourth triple-double of the season.

Antetokounmpo banged his finger on the rim while trying to chase down RJ Barrett’s fast-break dunk late in the second quarter. He finished with 11 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds in a 128-104 road win over the struggling Raptors.

In New York, Tyrese Haliburton scored 23 points, Bennedict Mathurin added 20 and the Indiana Pacers beat the Brooklyn Nets, 113-99.

Pascal Siakam contributed 19 points and Obi Toppin scored 11 for the Pacers, who have won three straight and nine of 12.