By: Kylan Watson

The Philadelphia 76ers faced the Miami Heat for the second of their two-game series with revenge on their minds After the Heat were able to beat the Sixers on Monday night thanks to a three-point barrage Tonight the Sixers made it rain from the three-point line drowning Miami 119-96.

Philly did not start the game off well they missed their first couple of shots, and the Heat took full advantage of the rim being open without Joel Embiid ( Sore foot recovery)  tonight. They were able to attack the paint and get whoever was on them into foul trouble. However, the Sixers were able to do what they did not do on Monday night which was hit shots and defend the three-point line. Philly hit 15/39 three-pointers tonight, they were led by the trio of Tyrese Maxey (27-points, hit four three-pointers, and had six assists), James Harden (22-points, hit four three-pointers, and had six assists), and Tobias Harris (18-points, and had five assists). They combined for 67 of Philly’s 112-points and each of them kept the ball moving and found the open man. The ball movement once again added another dimension to their offensive game. With Embiid not on the floor in this game there were extra shots available, and every player got to eat tonight that touched the floor for Philly tonight. A game like tonight can build confidence for Philly’s struggling role players who had a great performance tonight. Though they may not get as many shot opportunities when Embiid returns when they get their opportunities, they need to make the opposing defense pay for daring to give them room to get a shot up.

The Heat were the squad that struggled offensively tonight because the Sixers played aggressively on the perimeter and did not give their players any room to breathe or operate tonight. They stayed attached to their man which forced the Heat to operate in the half-court and they just do not have the players available to make the Sixers pay for not giving their players any respect. Bam Adebayo was the only Miami player that came to play tonight. He scored 20-points and got whatever he wanted from the floor. Without Joel Embiid in there to make it tough on him he dominated the Sixers tonight, but Philly was able to hold his teammates in check tonight which kept them in front from the second quarter on.

That second quarter really put the game away for Philly tonight they scored 37-points in that period, and they were able to stifle Miami’s offensive attack, only allowing 15-points in that quarter. Miami did not recover from that beating in the second. It was a great effort for a team that was missing their MVP candidate and if Philly can play defense like they did tonight they will be a dangerous out in the postseason.

The Sixers will now prepare to face the new-look Dallas Mavericks tomorrow night. They will need to stay attached to their man if they want to disrupt one of the best backcourts in the NBA. Defensively, they cannot give Luka Doncic or Kyrie Irving any room to get a shot up despite both being wizards with the ball in their hands. Additionally, they will need to keep the ball moving to take advantage of a team that is allergic to defending the ball. They can be had if Philly keeps the ball moving to maximize their offensive possessions. If they want to get their 41st victory of the season.