76ers-Heat instant breakdown: Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey lead huge win
Joel Embiid and the 76ers squared off with Jimmy Butler and the Heat in a showdown that could have a huge impact on the standings. The Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat played in a crucial game that could have a significant impact on the standings. In his second game back from his injury return, Joel Embiid performed well and made big plays, including several jumpers and a number of threes. Meanwhile, Tyrese Maxey came out hot, scoring eight points and tying a career-high in assists. This was a significant win for the 76ers, with the Heat leading by two points. This game was also the first for Butler against the Heat, who used his strength to score at the hoop and set up teammates. The game ended in a tie with over six minutes left in the second quarter.
Publicados : 4 semanas atrás por Sam DiGiovanni no Sports
The Philadelphia 76ers (42-35) and Miami Heat (42-34) squared off in a South Beach showdown that could have a huge impact on the standings. The Sixers undid a lot of their progress with awful stretches to end several quarters but still led when the fourth quarter came to a close, winning 109-105.
In his second game back from his injury return, Embiid looked very good. Physically, he seemed to move and change directions with no problem. The Heat allowed him one-on-one looks and he showed them what they risked by swishing jumpers. The big fella even shot (and made) a handful of threes. Although he wasn’t as great in the second half, he still made big plays.
Embiid spoke about the pride he takes in his defense after the last game. In this one, he showed it even more. His mobility around the paint was stellar. When the Sixers had him hedge and trap, he looked plenty comfortable getting out to the perimeter and back to the interior. He was still on a minutes restriction but played a little bit more.
Maxey, after missing the last two games, got cooled off by the Heat in the Christmas Day matchup but came out scorching hot in this one. He was absolutely cooking from deep, in the paint (specifically on or around the right block), as a playmaker (tying a career-high in assists) and as a defender. Even in the rebounding department, he was at his best, coming up just shy of his first triple-double.
Butler needed to sit up a little bit after a Sixers onslaught put the Heat in a hole to start the game. He used his strength to score at the hoop and get into the paint and did a great job setting up his teammates.
This was perhaps the most important game the 76ers have left in their regular season. The Heat are right above them in the standings and will finish ahead of them if they have the same record thanks to all the tiebreakers they own. The first game Embiid played against Miami all season was also the first that Butler played against Philly — the stakes were just about as big as they could get for the regular season.
Embiid and Maxey were listed as questionable but made available to play while Tobias Harris was inactive, elevating Kelly Oubre Jr. to the starting lineup. Tyler Herro was out for Miami.
Maxey wasted no time getting back into a groove with his star big man back by his side, scoring eight points on three shots. Embiid drained his first two shots, patrolled the paint well and opened up Kelly Oubre Jr. for an open layup with a great screen. It took almost three minutes for the Heat to score their first points of the night.
Embiid went to the bench halfway through the opening period. As Paul Reed joined the starters, the Sixers continued to rip the nets with smooth jumpers. The Heat ripped off a run of their own and Butler started to get himself going with a pair of buckets. Miami, specifically Nikola Jokic, looked to push the pace often. But Maxey came READY to get back to work, bringing out a dazzling display of dribble moves to score and bend the Heat's defense. He passed his point total from his performance vs. Miami on Christmas (12 points) in approximately 33 fewer minutes.
The Sixers went up by as much as 16 points in the first quarter, which Embiid played the final minutes of, but the Heat flipped a switch and ignited a comeback. The big man hit a pair of runners as the Heat let him get his shots in the mid-range. But Philly's hot shooting came back down to earth when Miami switched to its infamous zone defense. The game was tied with over six minutes left in the second quarter, firing up the Kaseya Center crowd. A three from Caleb Martin put Miami on top.
The shots that the 76ers got were good looks. Some were a little tougher but they kept the ball moving and got shots in rhythm. They got back on track, with Reed providing some good minutes off the bench as Maxey continued to do his thing while also playing solid defense. The Heat started double-teaming him and he was unfazed.
Embiid once again played the final minutes of the quarter, finishing a layup through a foul on a pass from Maxey. The two linked up for a triple in the halfcourt. Maxey hit one of his own after Nico Batum forced a backcourt turnover. Things started looking back up for the Sixers, who went on a 20-1 run to go back up…and then surrendered an 8-0 lead at the end of the half.
Lowry, in his return to Miami after being traded at the trade deadline, worked in the two-man game with Embiid and scored five points early in the second half. The big man having a second guard with knacks for shooting and passing has proven to be super beneficial, even if one of them lacks burst. He drained a triple right in Adebayo's face as the game started to really get intense.
The Sixers got all the way in their bag as they tried to push the lead. Maxey slithered around screens for beautiful jumpers. Batum reached a season-high seven assists. Oubre detonated on a dunk and drew an offensive foul. Reed fired a beautiful outlet pass to Hield, who drew a foul. The Heat, though, managed to stay close. The scoring juice they looked to add with Terry Rozier was paying off.
Embiid took to the nail as the Heat went to a zone defense, finding open space to get the feed into the post. But he was unable to score on two close shots (one a bad miss, the other possibly an uncalled foul on Kevin Love as he looked to draw a charge) and in the defensive scramble that ensued, Butler found mismatches down low and scored. The Heat led 88-87 after three quarters.
The Heat scored seven straight points to open the fourth quarter, maintaining a multi-possession lead for much of the way. The Sixers had their chances but had to spend a lot of time trying to break Miami's zone. They bought themselves time by turning up on defense, cutting the deficit to two after Reed blocked Butler on a layup. Oubre scored a layup on the fast break (with some help from a back screen in the paint from Lowry) and then drained a three to take the lead before Embiid came back in.
Embiid continued showing his mobility by containing Rozier in space and jumping out to Adebayo to contest a jumper on consecutive defensive possessions. Maxey and Oubre added to the lead — the latter flexed on Butler after the bucket — and Rozier took some of it back with a crazy stepback triple over KJ Martin. But after a wild sequence in a Heat offensive possession, they came up empty.
• It was reported just before the game that the Sixers will sign Jeff Dowtin Jr. to a standard contract for the rest of the season. He posted a ridiculous stat line in the G League playoffs (though it was a loss) that underscored his talent: 41 points on 14-21 shooting, eight assists, seven rebounds, four steals, two blocks.
• Only Batum could dive for a loose ball and throw a pass behind the back in one motion. The Sixers didn’t score on the play but it was yet another moment of unique brilliance for the veteran.
The 76ers' next stop on their road trip includes a Saturday night matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Tópicos: Basketball, Sports Figures, NBA, Philadelphia 76ers