By: Kylan Watson
After beating the Cleveland Cavaliers the hot Philadelphia 76ers faced the Miami Heat for their final game before the All-Star break. Despite both squads not being at full strength each team traded blows and it came down to the final few minutes of the contest. Philly just did not have enough to keep up with the Heat who made enough buckets to beat the Sixers 109-104.
For the second straight game the Sixers came out of the tunnels making their shots. When this team can make their shots early in the contest it opens up the floor for their dynamic playmakers. The duo of Tyrese Maxey (30 points and had seven assists) and Buddy Hield (22 points, made five/11 three-pointers, and had 10 assists) has been a revolution for the Sixers during this short-handed stretch. They combined for 52 of Philly’s 104 points and both players killed the Heat with their ability to attack the basket. When their defenders ran them off the three-point line they would either make a back-breaking lay-up or find their teammates for a high-percentage bucket. Since returning from an illness Maxey’s game has paired beautifully with Hield and it has opened up so many high-percentage shots for their teammates, that the offense has been just as dynamic as it was when Joel Embiid was healthy. The Maxey and Hield duo is still learning to play with each other, but they have enough fire power to keep the Sixers afloat until Joel Embiid can return. If the Sixers can get healthy this team will be one of the most dangerous teams in the second half of the season.
Despite the offensive explosion from Maxey and Hield Miami was able to weather the storm and make their move in the third quarter. They started hitting their shots and implemented a two-three zone defensive scheme. The Sixers just could not hit enough shots once the zone scheme was implemented even though they were making the right plays. The shots started to miss, and the Heat’s advantage started to increase. The trio of Tyler Herro (23 points), Bam Adebayo (23 points), and Duncan Robinson (20 points) combined for 66 of the Heat’s 109 points. In that second half Robinson was big time for the Heat when they needed it most, he hit a corner three-pointer to put the Heat back in front, and his effectiveness opened up room for his teammates to get offensive rebounds to keep their offensive possessions alive. This happened four times during the final quarter. The Sixers defense would force him into a bad shot, his teammates would get the offensive rebound and it ended with a dunk or lay-up to keep the Heat ahead in this contest.
The Sixers will now head into the All-Star Break and getting healthy will be the number one priority. Getting Tobias Harris, Nicolas Batum, and De’Anthony Melton by next Thursday night will be huge for them. They have been missing their impact defense and ability to rebound during this short-handed stretch. If they can get all three of them back their chances to beat the New York Knicks increase. The Knicks are one of the hottest teams in the association and to beat them an opposing team needs to have as many lengthy defenders as possible. To slowdown Jalen Brunson who will still get his points but forcing him to take well contested shots and limiting them to one possession should help Philly slowdown New York’s explosive offense. Additionally, the Sixers will need to continue to cash in on their high-percentage shots like they did against the Heat. The Knicks play an aggressive style of defense so it will be important for the Sixers to find the open man and make them pay for their mistakes. If the Sixers can implement these things into their game plan next Thursday night, they can get their 33rd victory of the season.