By: Kylan Watson

The Philadelphia 76ers faced off with the Miami Heat for their first Christmas game in five years. Both teams played this game without their star players as both Joel Embiid (ankle sprain) and Jimmy Butler (calf strain) missed this game with injuries and that did not stop both of these teams from trading blows like they were not many any pieces. Miami was able to outlast the Sixers though thanks to a Miami fourth quarter scoring explosion that helped them beat Philly 119-111.

The Sixers jumped on Miami from the opening tip-off they were able to take full advantage of the space the Heat gave them to put a shot up and found their stroke from the perimeter. That led to an early Philly lead before the Heat could even settle into this game. The duo of Kelly Oubre Jr. (25-points) and Tobias Harris (27-points) led them they combined for 52 of the Sixers 119-points. Both players got whatever they wanted from the field and the Heat had no answers for them. Harris in particular has found his stroke as of late especially from the three-point line he made four/seven three-pointers in this contest. If he can continue his hot shooting from beyond the arc, the Sixers not only should be able to stay in the top three of the loaded Eastern Conference but should be able to survive this stretch of games without Joel Embiid.

Tyrese Maxey becomes the main cog in the Sixers offense without Joel Embiid and tonight he did not have a good game but a concern for Philly should not be that it should be the fact that in the late stretches of this contest he played too timidly for a player that is the number two option on this team and the future of it as well. In a couple of stretches in the fourth quarter he was wide-open for a corner three-pointer and passed the ball instead of taking the shot. He has to continue to play aggressively even when his shot is not falling. When he does, he opens up high percentage shots for his teammates which opens up the capabilities of the Sixers offensive attack. Maxey cannot let what happen tonight snowball into a shooting slump. He has to look for his shot opportunities especially without Embiid this will be a career defining stretch for Maxey is he the future of the Sixers franchise or should Philly look to find the answer for the post-Embiid years in someone else?

The Heat took full advantage of Maxey’s power outage and turned the heat up on defense which forced the Sixers into turnovers which led to easy lay-ups and three-pointers for Miami. Jaime Jaquez Jr led them. He scored 30 points and grabbed 10-rebounds in this contest. Philly had no answers for him and in that fourth quarter stretch where the Heat pulled away from the Sixers. The shot he took found the bottom of the net and there was nothing Philly could do to stop him and even if they did the ball found him anyway. In one stretch the Sixers forced him into a well contested shot and he found a way to grab the offensive rebound for an easy bucket that pushed Miami ahead in this contest and got them the win.

The Sixers will now prepare for the Orlando Magic who are one of the biggest surprises of the NBA season. Philly will need to play stronger perimeter defense if they want to stop Paolo Banchero and the explosive offense of the Magic. Additionally, they will need to continue to use ball movement to find high percentage shot opportunities which increases their offensive capabilities. When the Sixers are working in the flow of their offense like they were throughout most of this contest they are a hard team to beat. If they can implement these things, they should be able to get their 21^st victory of the season.