Bradley Beal thrives in new bench role as Suns take down Sixers

Beal hadn't come off the bench since March 4, 2016, when he was a 22-year-old member of the Washington Wizards. He readjusted to his new bench role like no time at all had passed, shooting 10-for-15 with five assists.

His biggest impact came in the third quarter. Beal entered the game and Phoenix went on a 15-4 run. Beal accounted for 12 of those points.

Then he continued scoring in the fourth quarter. When Tyrese Maxey cut the Suns' lead to two points, Beal hit a jumper that sparked a 14-1 Phoenix run.

Ira Winderman speculated that the benching was done in part to encourage Beal to waive his no-trade clause. But the move makes sense from a basketball perspective.

Phoenix has the NBA's 25th-ranked defense, and two of the NBA's best scorers in Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. Having Beal lead the second unit while rookie Ryan Dunn, a defensive specialist, starts in his place makes all kinds of sense, except for perhaps protecting Beal's ego.

For one game, the Beal-as-sixth-man experiment is a success. Even if it was inspired by the Suns' desire to trade him.