The Sixers lost a painfully narrow second straight game Monday night at the Wells Fargo Center.
Joel Embiid (27 points, 12 rebounds) was two points down on last possession of the game and kicked the ball from behind the three-point arc to James Harden (20 points, 12 assists). Harden’s open attempt to win the game was just a long one, and the Heat walked away with a 101-99 win.
Jimmy Butler led Miami with 23 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists and four steals.
Dewayne Dedmon missed his former team due to left hip pain. Kyle Lowry of Miami sat out his ninth straight game with a left knee injury.
The 39-21 Sixers play the Heat again Wednesday night in the first game of a five-game road trip. Here are observations on another very close loss:
Déjà vu early on the boards
The Sixers’ chances of a fourth-quarter comeback in Game 6 of their second-round playoff series last year against the Heat were slim. Still, the team, badly beaten on multiple offensive boards, is an abiding reminder of the Sixers’ final game of 2021-22.
The stakes were much lower Monday, but the team’s rebound performance in the first quarter was similarly poor. Miami snagged the game’s first nine offensive rebounds, including three from Butler. After a put back layup by Butler and a dunk by Tyler Herro set up by a long-range vintage outlet pass by Kevin Love, Miami led 17-13.
The Heat might have had a lucky jump or two, but the Sixers lacked urgency and physicality against an opponent who isn’t an offensive rebound juggernaut. Although the Heat came in 19th in the NBA for offensive rebound rate, they were regularly quicker than the Sixers to respond to misses, according to Cleaning the Glass. In general, it’s okay for the Sixers not to do anything risky by bringing down the offensive glass lest they jeopardize their transitional defense. However, there’s no good reason a team should rake in eight offensive rebounds in 12 minutes against them like Miami did on Monday.
On top of all those extra possessions, the Heat benefited from a relatively hot three-point shooting start. Butler, who had attempted a single three-pointer in his last three games, made an early attempt. So did Love, who then scored against Georges Niang on Miami’s next possession. Ironically, late in the first quarter, Niang was called out for his second foul for an aggressive box-out.
The Sixers’ turnovers in the first half fuel Heat
The Sixers fell far behind in the old-fashioned “possession game” because of their sloppy handling of the ball.
They turned it over 11 times in the first half and Miami held a 14-0 advantage in points losses at the break. After Harden lost the ball trying to navigate through a rim crowd, Caleb Martin went the other way for a dunk that put the Heat at 50-40.
Tyrese Maxey committed one of those freebies when he was asked to late carry an aimless possession. Maxey’s only first-half basket was an imbalance, desperation three as the shot clock was about to expire. The Sixers briefly asked him to lead an all-bank lineup late in the first quarter, which didn’t go well.
Paul Reed and PJ Tucker again shared the Sixers’ backup center minutes in the first half. Tucker had a nice stretch late in the second quarter when he pulled down a defensive rebound and blew a corner three on the Sixers’ ensuing possession to reduce their lead to 50-48.
The Sixers then allowed Butler and the Heat to take back the momentum, in large part through fundamental errors. Experienced big man Cody Zeller beat everyone in the place for a layup just after Tucker’s three. After an Embiid turnover on a one-handed pass attempt to Harden, Butler rolled in for a dunk. On Miami’s last possession of the first half, he hit a turnaround jumper over Tucker and the Heat went into halftime with an eight-point lead. It felt worse for the Sixers given the number of times they had injured themselves and the depth of a possession advantage Miami had.
Butler and Miami struggle through
Embiid made the switch around midway through the third quarter after Butler drew the fourth foul on the Sixers All-Star Big Man.
Thanks to Maxey, who scored 23 points in 8v16 shooting in 28 minutes, the team’s deficit did not widen as Embiid was almost completely out. He zoomed in for two fast break layups, hit a couple of threes, and played with the freedom and aggression that Embiid (and all Sixers) love to see.
De’Anthony Melton kept starting and had six points on 2-for-8 shooting, three rebounds, two assists and two blocks.
The Sixers predictably struggled to stop the Heat after Embiid dropped out. Their zone defense didn’t bother Miami and Bam Adebayo made two jumps over Reed on a night he shot just 4 for 14 from the floor.
Despite dropping 11 points and going 7-10 to two fouls from Max Strus, the Sixers made a spirited, fast-paced comeback with Maxey and Melton on the court. Maxey knocked down another three and Melton’s ones layup cut the Heat’s lead to 95-93.
Tobias Harris appeared to injure his left leg backcourt in that game and went back to the dressing room but returned just over two minutes later. That Harris appeared to be avoiding a serious injury was clearly good for the Sixers to see, although he checked in because Butler managed to pull the sixth foul on Maxey. In his 35 minutes, Harris had just two points (1 for 4 from the floor) and five rebounds.
The Sixers eventually took a point lead after an Embiid middle-distance jumper and two Harden free throws. Both attacks were scratchy all the way, but Butler made an incredible play as he sped through traffic and converted an extremely hard reverse layup. He was also fouled in a jump attempt by Harden and shared two free throws before the Sixers’ unsuccessful final possession.
Just like last postseason against the Sixers, Butler ultimately did enough to lead the Heat to victory.