The Miami Heat couldn't squeak out of Thursday night with a win against the Philadelphia 76ers, 109-105, snapping their three-game winning streak. It was a game of runs as each team held their own leads at different points of the game, but Philadelphia was able to get a close one late where Miami had a chance to tie or win, but couldn't capitalize.
FINAL: Heat 105 – 76ers 109
This was one that keeps you awake at night. Miami had multiple chances to maintain leads, but this was a game of runs where Philly got a close one late.
Heat start a three-game road trip tomorrow against the Houston Rockets. #HeatCulture
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) April 5, 2024
A eye-opening night for Tyrese Maxey who had 37 points to go with 11 assists and nine rebounds and their other returning star in Joel Embiid had 29 points. While it isn't the main reason, the Heat's stars couldn't match as Jimmy Butler had 20 and Bam Adebayo had 14. However, it was another solid night for Terry Rozier who had 22.
Here are three takeaways from the Heat's frustrating loss to the 76ers Thursday night:
A jarring first half for Miami and Philadelphia
While one was to believe that the Heat had all the momentum going into this game as they had a quality win over the New York Knicks plus a three-game winning streak, the start didn't show any of it. The talk of the team after the Knicks win was that Miami entered as the fifth best defense in terms of efficiency, but the Sixers got whatever they want in the first period.
It was really the stars in Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey that had 13 and 15 points respectively as the team as a whole scored 39. Miami on the other hand scored 29, but got eight points with around a minute remaining as they initiated a full-court press that made Philadelphia commit turnovers. Still, Miami shot 42.9 percent from the field and three of seven from deep as the 76ers shot close to 60 percent from the field and five of 11 from deep.
The second period for the Heat was strange to say the least as they started by going on an explosive 25-6 run that gave them a two-point lead after being down double-digits. Then the 76ers would go on a 20-1 run that gave them back a double-digit lead, but Miami came back with an 8-0 run to make it just an eight-point deficit at halftime, capped off by a Rozier three at the buzzer.
By the end of the first half, the Heat shot 41.3 percent from the field and made seven of their 20 attempts from beyond the arch. Haywood Highsmith once again had a great start to the game in the half as he scored 12 points, shooting five of seven from the field. If the first half was a whirlwind, the next 24 minutes are sure to be challenging.
A stress-inducing second half
This was another period where it went back and forth but another late-game run from Miami gave them some momentum and another lead, this time to close out the third by just one point. Despite Embiid and Maxey combining for 57 points, the Heat played up to their strengths to never make this a runaway for Philadelphia in the third quarter.
Rozier is once again having a dynamite performance having 19 points through three periods, but Miami combined for 33 points in the period compared to Philadelphia who had just 24. Once again, another run would change the tides as the Heat started the fourth with a 7-0 run to take the lead again and had their largest at eight points.
The fourth quarter was equally parts exciting and frustrating as while they would build up close to a double-digit lead, Miami fell apart later as they only scored one basket in the final eight minutes and change. It opened up the door for the 76ers to take back control and they did just that.
A look ahead for Heat with six games left
The game was important for a myriad of reasons as besides being in a time of the season where every win matters, the 76ers were a team that was trying to catch up to Miami as they came into this game as the sixth seed, just outside the play-in tourney. At the moment, the Heat are trying to grasp at that spot with the potential to move up, but the upcoming three-game road trip will be vital.
Now that the 76ers (42-35) beat the Heat (42-34), Miami only leads them by mere percentage points which can possibly cause problems down the line.
The one threat they need to look out from is the Indiana Pacers as they are just separated by a couple of percentage points. Both squads meet Sunday night which is integral for seeding purposes as it will determine who gets the tiebreaker as each have a game over the other. However, Miami won't have much rest as they play the tail-end of the back-to-back Friday as they take on the Houston Rockets.
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