The Miami Heat took care of business in Game 1 against the Philadelphia 76ers, running away with a 106-92 victory thanks to a big second half. While the Heat are still missing Kyle Lowry, they caught a break with Joel Embiid's facial injury that currently has him sidelined.

Miami jumped out to a quick 14-point lead before struggling to close the first half, even trailing by one point going into the break. But the East's top seed took full control in the second half and turned Game 1 into a laugher in the fourth quarter.

 

The Embiid injury truly changes everything about this series, and it's unclear when he'll be back, if he's back at all. The Sixers star is out for at least Game 2, giving the Heat a major opportunity.

Overreactions after Game 1 are always all the rage, so let's take a look at a couple of them for the Heat after their win over the Sixers on Monday.

*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*

Heat overreactions after Game 1 vs. Sixers

1. The Heat are in zero trouble in this series as long as Joel Embiid is out

Embiid is an MVP candidate for a reason. The Sixers star means so much to the franchise on both ends of the floor, and that was fully evident in Game 1 against Miami.

The Heat ran out to a 25-11 lead in this game with Embiid sidelined as DeAndre Jordan was totally ineffective as the starter. While the Sixers got back into it with Paul Reed at center and with the use of smaller lineups, Miami took back full control of the game in the second half when things really mattered.

Philly has no reliable option to replace Embiid, with the Jordan fiasco taking center stage. Reed is a fun player who brings chaotic energy to the table, but he fouls a lot and is limited in his own right. Paul Millsap is washed. Charles Bassey can't be counted on. Georges Niang-at-center lineups had some success, but the Heat can find ways to counter that. Bam Adebayo dominated down low with 24/12/4 and was a plus-26.

Meanwhile, the Sixers just don't have enough offense without Embiid as long as Harden stays in the current state he's in. 16 points on 5-of-13 shooting isn't close to good enough, especially when Embiid isn't playing. This has been a trend with The Beard for a while now, and maybe he doesn't have it in him anymore to put up monster scoring games.

Tobias Harris deserves credit for his 27 points, and Tyrese Maxey is a dangerous player when he has it going. The Sixers were also the victim of some bad variance luck by shooting 6-of-34 from 3-point range.

However, Miami won by 14 despite shooting just 43.5% overall and 9-of-36 from 3-point range. The Heat's elite defense can lock down this Sixers team without the hulking presence of Embiid in the middle.

As long as Embiid is out, Miami should have no problem in this series. They're just flat-out better. The MVP candidate coming back would make things interesting, though.

2. The Heat need Kyle Lowry back to make real noise

While the Heat have the clear edge in this series because of Embiid's injury, there are still some concerns about their half-court offense. They were sloppy in the first half with turnovers (this allowed the Sixers back in it at halftime) and struggled to shoot the ball all game. If a defense stays disciplined against Miami's pet offensive sets, things can get bogged down:

The absence of Lowry plays a factor here. While the veteran point guard isn't the player he once was, he's still a smart playmaker who helps organize the offense while providing outside shooting prowess. The Heat have a number of guys who can play some point guard, including star Jimmy Butler, but nobody can do it to the degree of Lowry.

It was interesting to see Victor Oladipo take Duncan Robinson's spot in the rotation after his big Game 5 against the Atlanta Hawks. With Lowry out, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra decided to go with the guy who brings a bit more playmaking juice and defensive ability to the table over the pure shooter. Oladipo struggled in Game 1, managing just five points on 2-of-8 shooting and 0-of-5 from 3-point range to go along with two assists. It's asking a lot to rely on him to be consistent after all the time he missed.

Luckily for the Heat, Tyler Herro stepped up off the bench with a team-high 25 points to help them get the victory. That kind of production is huge with Lowry out, but it's clear Miami needs the veteran point guard back in order to fully reach its championship potential. If he continues to miss time, that could come back to bite them later in this series if Embiid comes back, or next series against either the Milwaukee Bucks or Boston Celtics.