The Miami Heat picked up a 119-109 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night, bringing their season record to 40-36. The Heat occupy the No. 9 seed in the East but still remain three games behind the No. 6 seed Atlanta Hawks. However, this loss also means the 76ers worsen to 41-34 on the season, sitting just 1,5 gaems ahead of the Heat as the No. 7 seed.
Tyler Herro led the Heat in scoring with 30 points (12-24 FG), four rebounds, and three assists, with a steal and two blocks as well. This included 12 points in the fourth quarter to secure this win. Bam Adebayo did his job on the interior with 23 points (5-11 FG), 16 rebounds, and six assists. Pelle Larsson put up a double-double with 20 points (8-13 FG) and 10 rebounds.
The 76ers relied heavily on their big three, but their production wasn’t enough on the night. Joel Embiid had 26 points (10-25 FG) and seven rebounds, while Tyrese Maxey had 23 points (7-20 FG) with seven rebounds and nine assists, and Paul George had 19 points (7-18 FG), four rebounds, and two assists.
1. Heat’s Dominant Performance In Clutch Time Won Them This Game
The Heat looked close to blowing the 15-point lead they held in the third quarter when the fourth quarter started swinging towards the 76ers. Embiid and Maxey combined for 17 points through the first nine minutes of the fourth quarter as the 76ers led 107-103 with 3:10 left in the game. Unfortunately, that’s when the Heat woke up and blasted the 76ers with 14 unanswered points in less than three minutes to add distance to the game.
With less than 50 seconds left in the game, the Heat had turned the four-point 76ers lead into a 10-point lead of their own, which they held onto till them end of the game. This was an excellent and high-quality win for the Heat, who were facing a hot 76ers roster coming off two straight double-digit wins with their core rotation all healthy and available once again. This loss definitely dampened their sails considerably going into the final few weeks of the season.
The Heat have a middling 17-16 record in the clutch this season, so pulling this victory off right now bodes well for them as the postseason nears. Herro looks back to full health, while Adebayo’s defensive production is guaranteed on a night-to-night basis. If they can find more consistency with team scoring around their star duo, the Heat could be loading up for yet another deep Playoff run as a surprise low seed.
2. Heat’s Two-Point Efficiency Was The Difference On Offense
This game was pretty evenly matched throughout the night, outside huge runs from both sides in the second half. The Heat’s best run came at the perfect time, as the 76ers had less than 50 seconds to try and retaliate, which was anyway a tall task given the rough offensive night the 76ers were having. The franchise went 40-96 on field goals (41.7 FG%) while shooting 12-38 (31.6 3P%) from three. The Heat managed to go 43-93 (46.2 FG%) while shooting terribly from three (11-40, 27.5 3P%).
With Miami’s terrible outside shooting restricting them from opening up a dominant lead, the team refocused on attacking the 76ers’ interior and maximizing their two-point attempts. They went 32-53 (60.3 FG%) on two-point attempts, which made all the difference in an already evenly-matched game. If the 76ers could’ve found a way to keep the Heat from driving and finishing at the rim with so much success, they likely would’ve picked this win up and kept pace for the No. 6 seed in the East.
The Heat won out on the margins as well, despite it being a close game. The Heat were much better as rebounders (57-42) while generating 19 second-chance points and 60 points in the paint. They also had 30 points in the fastbreak while generating six steals. The 76ers had the edge on assists (26-24), turnovers (9-11), and blocks (5-4), but it wasn’t enough to overcome Miami’s surgical interior offense on the night.
3. 76ers Have Rotational Problems To Figure Out
The 76ers lost this game over specifc stretches where they completely shut down. We’ve already spoken about their dry spell in the fourth quarter, but the Heat also did go on an extended 27-8 run from the end of the first half to the first six minutes of the second half as well, which gave the 76ers the task of producing a double-digit comeback. They did manage to do that over the end of the quarter and the start of the fourth, but the lineups they used were incredibly inconsistent.
George (-22) and Embiid (-18) somehow managed to tally up a combined -40 in this game, as the Heat’s run seemed to coincide with the presence of these two players. The great moments from the 76ers came when bench units with the likes of Quentin Grimes (+12) came into the game. Maxey still ended the game a +1 due to the heavy minutes he played, directly indicating that the 76ers still don’t have an option beyond Maxey they can rely on. The 76ers were -11 in the four minutes Maxey didn’t play this game.
The 76ers have an abundance of wing players that Nick Nurse needs to find on-court balance for. George, Grimes, V.J. Edgecombe (-33), Kelly Oubre Jr. (+9), and Justin Edwards all can give them good minutes, but there are just two wing positions at all times. Today was the day when Grimes and Oubre got extended run during moments of winning, while George and Edgecombe took a huge brunt of the losing minutes. Hopefully, coach Nurse can figure out the best use of these players come playoff time.
4. The Race To Get Out Of The Play-In Tournament In The East Is Hitting A New Gear
This game had a huge impact on the standings race in the East. The Heat were 2.5 games behind the No. 7 seed 76ers before tonight and now are a game closer to climbing out of the Play-In Tournament, although they’re still the No. 9 seed. That’s how thin the margins in the East are right now. No. 5 seed Toronto Raptors (42-32) and No. 6 seed Atlanta Hawks (43-33) are 1.5 games ahead of the 76ers in No. 7 (41-34), who could’ve been half a game behind the guaranteed Playoff spots if they beat the Heat.
The 76ers are surrounded by other rising teams in the race to No. 6, including the Heat. Miami’s win tonight means their 40-36 record is currently virtually tied with the No. 8 seed Orlando Magic (39-35). Outside the Hawks, the hottest team in this group, the Charlotte Hornets (39-36), have fallen to the No. 10 spot after two recent losses.
These six teams could be completely flipped by the end of the season, as less than 3.5 games separate the No. 5 seed from the No. 10 seed right now. However, all these teams have less than two weeks of basketball to maximize their results and hopefully skip the Play-In Tournament. If you can’t skip the Play-In, there’ll always be an incentive to secure home-court or be in the 7-8 matchup, so the middle of the East will likely see a lot of great basketball played from now until the final game of the season.
