Tag: Sixers vs. Heat

Sixers embarrassed by Heat, lose 137-106 for third straight loss

The Sixers were blown out for the second straight game and have now lost three in a row.

Things are going from bad to worse for the Philadelphia 76ers. After an impressive win over the Lakers and a victory over the Warriors, the team hit the road and produced one of the worst outcomes imaginable. After losing to the lowly Atlanta Hawks on Thursday, the team laid a dud in a blowout loss to the Celtics. On Monday, they followed those performances up with a disastrous showing in Miami that resulting in a 137-106 defeat.

The early part of the game offered no indication of the beatdown that was coming. The teams played an entertaining, competitive first half with the Heat taking a modest four-point lead into the break. Unfortunately, the Sixers forgot they had to play a second half.

They got absolutely blitzed in the third quarter, giving up a whopping 41 points and getting outscored by 16. They were down 20 to start the fourth, and would never really threaten again as they displayed discouraging energy and body language. The Heat added another 11 to the margin to earn the 137-106 win.

It doesn’t take a basketball genius to see that defense was the problem on Monday night. On their way to 137 points, the Heat shot 56.5% from the field and 50% from 3. They got 30 trips to the line and connected on 25 of them. Jimmy Butler had a field day, pouring in 38 points in just 29 minutes of action. He shot 70% from the field, 2-of-2 from 3, and 8-of-8 from the line. The Sixers, a supposed defensive juggernaut, forced three turnovers. Three.

We’re not even going to touch on the few decent individual offensive performances because, frankly, they don’t deserve to be acknowledged.

The loss to Atlanta was bad, but it was easy to dismiss as a one-off letdown in an 82 game schedule/the Sixers were looking ahead to the following three-game stretch. The poor effort in Boston and the fact that what happened in Atlanta didn’t serve as a spark or a refocusing point was concerning. For the Sixers to play like they did on Monday after the two previous results is beyond concerning and moving into “it’s fair to question the team’s character” territory.

It’s getting increasingly difficult to dismiss the team’s problems and remain optimistic that they are anywhere near the team we thought they were. Road struggles, not getting up for lesser opponents, and inconsistent energy and effort, especially defensively, are no longer just patterns, but who this team is. The fact that the team fails to consistently play the type of defense it’s capable of is inexcusable.

Adding to the frustration is the glimpses the team has shown. Blowout wins over these same Heat, and the Bucks, and the Lakers. Solid wins over the Raptors and Pacers, Jazz and Nuggets, and winning the season series over the Celtics. The fact that the Sixers can’t muster those types of performances consistently and that it’s a complete mystery what motivates this team makes this season all the more confounding.

A season that started with championship aspirations is dangerously close to going completely off the rails, if it hasn’t already, and it’s getting increasingly difficult to see realistic fixes. Things don’t get any easier, as the Sixers travel to East-leading Milwaukee on Thursday. [lawrence-related id=24792,24811]

Sixers suffer bizarre, heartbreaking 117-116 loss to Heat

The Sixers squandered plenty of opportunities in a chaotic final minute before falling to the Heat in overtime.

If you missed Saturday’s battle between the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat, it’s hard to know where to start to explain what transpired. There was Miami taking an eight-point lead early, only for the Sixers to answer with a 17-4 run to close the first quarter to take a five-point lead. There was another poor third quarter in which the Sixers were outscored by 11, giving Miami a six-point lead heading to the fourth. And eventually, there was overtime.

But we have to start with the end of the fourth quarter, which produced one of the most bizarre minutes of basketball you’ll ever see. Let’s break it down.

Joel Embiid drained a step-back 3 with 1:14 remaining to put the Sixers up five, and things were looking pretty good. From there, however, it was chaos.

Bam Adebayo got a dunk with just under a minute left to cut the lead to three. The Heat got a stop, and Jimmy Butler was fouled with 25.1 seconds remaining. He hit 1-of-2 from the line, trimming the Sixers lead to two.

On the ensuing possession, Tobias Harris missed a dunk. The Sixers got the rebound, but Joel Embiid turned the ball over with 10.1 seconds left when all the Sixers had to do was hold the ball and force the Heat to foul. Off the turnover, Tyler Herro drained a 3 with 6.9 to go, and suddenly the Sixers were trailing by a point. Following a Sixers timeout, Embiid again turned the ball over and Butler was fouled with 3.3 seconds left. Things looked bleak for the Sixers, but there was still plenty of crazy yet to unfold.

Once again, Butler went 1-of-2 to put the Heat up two. Josh Richardson took the inbounds pass, failed to get a shot off, but was fouled on the floor with one second left. He proceeded to miss the first free throw. Forced to miss the second on purpose, Ben Simmons grabbed the rebound and laid it in to tie the game, except the officials had blown the whistle thinking that Richardson’s miss hadn’t hit the rim. A replay review indicated that it did, Simmons’ bucket was good, and we headed to overtime.

The teams traded blows in overtime before another 1-of-2 from the charity stripe for Butler put the Heat up one with 2.3 seconds left. Tobias Harris got an excellent look out of the ensuing timeout but failed to connect, and the Sixers suffered a frustrating, heartbreaking defeat.

There were a lot of mentions of Embiid turnovers in that recap, and they surely played a huge part in the outcome of the game, but the big man was fantastic for much of the night. He finished with 35 points and 11 rebounds. He only had three turnovers, but two of them came at absolutely crushing moments. He was 11-of-16 from the field, 11-of-12 from the foul line, and was one of only two Sixers starters who finished with a positive plus/minus.

The other was Josh Richardson, who scored 17 points. Ben Simmons had 15 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds. Tobias Harris had 12 points and eight rebounds, and Al Horford had seven points and four rebounds.

The bench was better, contributing 30 points, with three of the four bench players having a positive plus/minus. Trey Burke, in particular, gave the Sixers a nice spark off the bench, and he was on the floor late in the fourth and in overtime.

At the end of the day, it’s another frustrating loss for the Sixers, who have now lost two straight after the big win over the Bucks.

The team is back in action on Tuesday against the Pacers.

Tobias Harris questionable against Heat with hip soreness

Sixers forward Tobias Harris popped up on the injury report Saturday afternoon ahead of a big game against the Miami Heat.

The Philadelphia 76ers will look to quickly bounce back from a disappointing performance against the Orlando Magic Friday night when they take on the Heat in Miami on Saturday night. The afternoon injury report indicates that task may be a bit more difficult than originally expected.

Per the Inquirer’s Keith Pompey, Sixers forward Tobias Harris is listed as questionable for the game against the Heat with “right hip soreness.” The news comes as somewhat of a surprise after Harris played 36 minutes against the Magic on Friday and there were no indications after the game that he was dealing with any kind of discomfort.

Harris played a decent game against the Magic, scoring 24 points to go with 11 rebounds and three assists. After a slow start to the season, he has been playing at a near All-Star level over the past five weeks or so, playing like the player the Sixers expected him to be when they signed him to a five year, $180 million contract last summer.

For the season, Harris is averaging 19.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists.

Despite it only being December, Saturday presents a pretty big game for the Sixers. Not only do they want to quickly get the taste of Friday’s disappointing showing out of their mouths, but the Heat currently sit a game and a half ahead of the Sixers in the Eastern Conference standings as a handful of teams jockey for spots two through six in the conference while trying to close ground on the Milwaukee Bucks. Saturday’s game is one the Sixers would really like to win, and being at full strength would certainly be welcomed.

Harris’ status is something to keep an eye on as we approach the 8:00 PM tipoff. [lawrence-related id=22328,22309]

Sixers no longer perfect at home after comeback attempt falls short

The Sixers saw their perfect run at home come to an end Wednesday night at the hands of the Miami Heat.

The Philadelphia 76ers put their perfect home record on the line Wednesday night when they hosted the Miami Heat. For the first time this season, they were unable to protect their home court, falling 108-104.

In the first quarter, it appeared the game might be a repeat of the first meeting between the teams, when the Sixers trounced the Heat 113-86. Philadelphia built a comfortable 12-point lead and carried a 10-point advantage into the second quarter.

That’s when things fell apart, and the disastrous second quarter ultimately doomed the Sixers. Philadelphia struggled at both ends of the floor, surrendering a whopping 37 points while scoring just 19. Suddenly a 10-point lead was an eight-point deficit at the break.

The teams played even in the third, but Miami made another push in the fourth, extending the lead to 16 with just under eight minutes to go. The Sixers then showed some impressive resolve, making a big push and eventually pulling to within one possession. They trailed by just two with 25.7 seconds left, and Al Horford had a chance to give the Sixers the lead with a 3 with 4.8 seconds left but missed the mark. Bam Adebayo connected on two free throws to ice the game.

Joel Embiid led the way for the Sixers with 22 points, 19 rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. Tobias Harris added 20 points, while Josh Richardson and Ben Simmons added 17 each.

Philadelphia’s bench struggled, contributing just 19 points. Each member of the bench finished with a negative plus/minus.

Ultimately, cold shooting and defense that wasn’t up to par in the second quarter doomed the Sixers, as they never quite recovered from the poor showing in that period.

It was nice to see the team fight back and almost stage a furious comeback, but it was also a disappointing way to see the team’s 14-game home winning streak come to an end. The Sixers have now dropped two straight and Wednesday’s loss dropped them to fifth in a tight Eastern Conference.

The team will look to get back on track Friday when it hosts the Dallas Mavericks. [lawrence-related id=21609,21592,21575]

Jimmy Butler on potential postseason matchup with Sixers: ‘I hope so’

The Sixers thumped Jimmy Butler and the Heat Saturday, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t like an opportunity to play them in the playoffs.

Former Philadelphia 76ers guard/forward Jimmy Butler made his return to Philadelphia Saturday night, where he was greeted with boos from the fans and a thorough beating from his former team.

The Sixers dismantled the Miami Heat, never trailing in a 113-86 win. Josh Richardson, who came to the Sixers in a move that helped facilitate Butler’s move to Miami, tormented his former team, torching the Heat with 32 points on 11-for-15 shooting. Miami trailed 28-13 after the first quarter and never threatened the Sixers.

For his part, Butler seemed unmoved by the night’s events despite posting a lackluster stat line of 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals. He was also a game worst -31. Still, Butler told reporters after the game that he didn’t hear the boos. He also was asked about a potential playoff matchup with the Sixers and Butler responded “I hope so.”

It’s not a particularly surprising answer from Butler. Naturally, he’s not going to put an excessive amount of weight on a November NBA game and as a competitor would love the opportunity to get revenge when the stakes are raised.

Still, it’s hard to believe the Heat don’t feel like they’ve seen enough of the Sixers for a while after what transpired Saturday night. At any rate, a playoff matchup between the teams would certainly be interesting. We’ll also get three more opportunities to see these teams play during the regular season, with the next coming on December 18. [lawrence-related id=19957,19949,19941,19933]

Josh Richardson torches former team as Sixers rout Heat

Led by Josh Richardson and Joel Embiid, the Sixers trounced the Heat Saturday night, spoiling Jimmy Butler’s return to Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia 76ers are heating up, winning their fourth-straight game Saturday night with a dominant 113-86 victory over the Miami Heat. They were led by Josh Richardson, who put on quite a show against his former team.

This one was over quickly, as the Sixers used a 24-4 run to open up a 25-point lead by the end of the first quarter. Philadelphia surrendered just 13 first-quarter points, setting a tone and never looking back.

By halftime, the margin had grown to 30, and at the end of the third quarter it stood at 37. Miami trimmed a few points off the final margin in garbage time, with the Sixers walking away with a 27-point win.

As we mentioned, Richardson was the star, ensuring that the Heat were never able to get back into the game. He finished with a season-high 32 points, connecting on 11-of-15 shots including 6-of-7 from beyond the arc. He added four assists, a rebound, and a steal in an absolutely sparkling performance. It certainly had to be tough to watch from a Heat perspective.

Richardson wasn’t alone in his excellent play. Joel Embiid put forth another double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds. He added two assists, two steals, and two blocks.

Tobias Harris continued his strong play, contributing 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting with eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

Al Horford added 16 points, six rebounds, and three assists while connecting on 7-of-9 field goals.

Ben Simmons was quiet offensively, scoring just four points. But he added eight rebounds and seven assists and he continued to be huge on the defensive end, swiping four steals.

It was a wonderful all-around performance from the Sixers. They shot 50.6% from the field and 48.3% from beyond the arc. They won the rebounding battle 44-38, dished out 28 assists, and had 11 steals. Meanwhile, they held Miami to 40% shooting and just 25% from deep.

On Saturday night the Sixers looked like we expected them to look coming into the season. The result was a pleasure to watch and earned them a resounding victory over a tough Heat team that was actually ahead of the Sixers in the standings.

The Sixers improved to 11-5 on the season and remained perfect at home, where they are now 7-0. The team will look to continue its impressive play on Monday when it gets another stiff test in the form of the Toronto Raptors. That game is scheduled for 7:30 PM from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. [lawrence-related id=19933]