Russell Westbrook spent most of his first season with the Los Angeles Lakers fighting off a possible benching and his second season with them begrudgingly accepting it. It's an inevitable part of life in the NBA.

Bradley Beal made the most of the unfamiliar role of substitute for the Phoenix Suns. That doesn't mean he had to like it. Beal came off the bench for the first time in nine years on Monday night and scored a team-high 25 points as the Suns snapped a four-game losing streak with a 109-99 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.

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