By: Kylan Watson

After beating the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night, the Philadelphia 76ers faced off with the Miami Heat tonight with playoff implications on the line. Both teams traded blows throughout this game, and Philly used a third quarter offensive explosion to beat Miami 98-91. With tonight’s victory the Sixers pull ahead of Miami in the chase to get to the sixth seed and avoid the Play-In Tournament.

The Sixers started this game off hot as their shots found the bottom of the net and that put the Heat on their heels early in this contest. The trio of Tyrese Maxey (30 points, grabbed eight rebounds and had 10 assists), Kelly Oubre Jr. (22 points), and Kyle Lowry (16 points) combined for 68 of Philly’s 98 points and the Sixers needed each of their points to keep Miami at bay in this contest. Philly’s offense has improved since Maxey’s return from a concussion last week. His return to scoring form has made life a lot easier for his teammates as they have way more space to operate and get easier shot opportunities thanks to his playmaking abilities. This Embiid less stretch has been big for Maxey’s development as a scorer he has taken on the responsibility of being the franchise player and it can only help him as playoff time approaches. His ability to find an open teammate was the biggest difference in this game for Philly. When the Heat put the defensive pressure on him, he found the wide-open man and that player found the bottom of the net. If Maxey can continue to improve his passing ability, he will become the best number two scorer and playmaker Embiid has had since he has been a Sixer.

Despite the offensive explosion from Maxey, Oubre Jr., and Lowry the Heat clawed their way back into this game. The duo of Terry Rozier and Bam Adebayo combined for 40 of Miami’s 91 points. Rozier in particular exploded and the third and fourth quarters and his scoring ability really put pressure on the Sixers. He found the bottom of the net and it did not matter if he had one or multiple defenders on him, Rozier found a way to put points on the board and the Heat were able to retake the lead. The Sixers made the adjustment and put Nicolas Batum and Kelly Oubre Jr. on him. Their length was enough to force him to take more difficult shots and Philly was able to limit them to one possession. The Sixers were able to impose their will late in this contest and outexecute a game Heat squad, to get their first win over them of the season.

The Sixers will now start their last West Coast Road trip of the season in Phoenix to play the Suns on Wednesday Night. The Sixers will need to cash in on the high percentage shots created from their ball movement. On the road it has been a struggle for them to cash in on those opportunities and they will need to change that trend if they want to keep-up with the Suns explosive offense. Additionally, Philly will need to stay attached to their defensive assignments and not give Devin Booker and Kevin Durant any easy opportunities to get a shot up. If both of them get going it will be a long night for the Sixers. If they are able to limit them to one possession Philly can pull off the upset over Phoenix and get their 39^th victory of the season.