Philadelphia went on a decisive 20-2 run in the second quarter.
The Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers met each other again two days after the Heat defeated the Sixers 101-99. Wednesday night’s game was in Miami, not Philadelphia. And Joel Embiid sat out due to left foot soreness.
That didn’t matter. The Sixers used a 20-2 run in the second quarter to blow the game open against the Heat, sending Miami back in the loss column after the Heat’s victory Monday ended a four-game losing streak.
Miami held Philadelphia under 100 points Monday, but the Sixers put up 71 points by halftime and cracked 100 early in the fourth quarter Wednesday. The Heat made 15 3-pointers Monday night, with solid contributions from Gabe Vincent. Vincent shot 0-for-7 from downtown Wednesday, and the Heat didn’t score their fifth 3-pointer until the fourth quarter, when the game was already decided. Miami missed 13 consecutive 3s at one point.
After missing 13 straight three-point attempts, Heat makes one.
— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) March 2, 2023
The one bright spot for Miami came in the opening quarter, when the Heat looked energetic. The Sixers went small — subbing Tyrese Maxey into the starting lineup for Embiid— giving Bam Adebayo an advantage inside. Jimmy Butler scored 10 first-quarter points. After scoring an and-one on former teammate P.J. Tucker, Butler smiled and glanced at Tucker.
Jimmy already messing with PJ pic.twitter.com/4tBzaYYLhX
— ™ (@AIR305) March 2, 2023
The Heat even made four of their first eight attempts from downtown, including a 3 with one second left from Victor Oladipo. Miami held a four-point lead after the first quarter.
The second period started with both Butler and Adebayo on the bench. The Sixers soon wrestled the lead back, and a combination of Heat turnovers and Philadelphia hot shooting put Miami in a deep hole. As has often been the case this season, the defensive intensity slipped when Miami’s offense failed to produce.
The Heat went on a 10-0 run in the third quarter to get back in the game, but the Sixers responded scoring nine unanswered points of their own.
Adebayo led Miami with 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field, eight rebounds and two assists. Butler added 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field.
If they had more help, the Heat would’ve been in this game. Aside from Vincent’s 0-for-7 shooting night from deep, Tyler Herro went 1-for-5 from downtown. He shot just 4-of-15 from the field. Though Herro dished out six assists, the Heat need him to be more efficient. He can’t turn into a sub-par offensive player when he faces the Sixers.
Wednesday marked the second blowout loss the Heat have had since the All-Star break. The first was last Friday night’s loss to a Milwaukee Bucks team that saw Giannis Antetokounmpo leave with an injury in the first quarter.
Now, Miami lost to a Sixers team without Embiid, and at home. Any hopes after Monday’s win are dashed. This Heat season is already becoming forgettable as we see the end approach.