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The Philadelphia 76ers (52-28) played their final home game of the 2022-23 regular season against the Miami Heat (43-37). On a night celebrating their fans, the Sixers didn't match the Heat's sense of urgency and lost in convincing fashion, 129-101.
Let's break down the Sixers' loss to the Heat.
Sixers player notes:
Joel Embiid: 21 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 9-13 FG shooting
Following a performance that all but locked up the MVP, Embiid scored with ease but was clearly saving his legs. Ahead of a very important postseason, it made a ton of sense. He picked his energy up to make some big plays here and there, getting to the hoop through physical defense. But the Heat made things hard enough for him on defense that he couldn't carry the team like he had against the Boston Celtics.
James Harden: 14 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 5-12 FG shooting
Harden assisted on all of the Sixers' first four buckets, one of which was a beautiful touchdown pass to Tobias Harris. Otherwise, he was unspectacular.
Heat player notes:
Jimmy Butler: 24 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 9-12 FG shooting
After recently supporting Embiid's MVP candidacy, Butler once again commanded the show for Miami as he looked to upstage Philly. After tallying eight points and five assists in the first quarter, he continued to go right into the teeth of the Philly defense and got his teammates involved.
Bam Adebayo: 14 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 7-11 FG shooting
Adebayo didn't let Embiid get his points easily and scored plenty of his own points. He played a big part in making Embiid's post touches hard to even come by, even if the big fella's scoring efficiency didn't show it.
Game recap:
1st half
The top five spots in the Eastern Conference were solidified yesterday night, with the Sixers guaranteed to be the third seed no matter how the remainder of their season plays out. However, this game still had some significance, as beating the Heat would have guaranteed the Brooklyn Nets getting the sixth seed. A loss would give Miami a chance to move up from seventh. It's not certain that the Sixers played Embiid and Harden to get the win and match up with Brooklyn but they played nonetheless.
De'Anthony Melton started in place of Tyrese Maxey, who sat out with neck stiffness but did thank the crowd for its support ahead of the regular-season home finalé. Tucker matched up with Butler while Butler guarded Harden but often found himself switched onto Embiid. Miami looked to steal points in the fast break early on — which, as has been the case, is a sound strategy against Philly.
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Embiid and Adebayo exchanged interior buckets in the first quarter. Philly's superstar took it to the Miami defense, converting a pair of and-ones. Defensively, though, he was definitely not going full speed. He moved his feet but didn't go out of his way to contest shots. It was perfectly understandable but his nonchalance — along with Miami's 6-10 shooting from deep and three travels in four possessions from Philly — played a part in the Heat going up by as much as 13 in the opening period.
The Heat defense picked up Harden well above the three-point line and practically face-guarded him, leading to a 9-2 run to start the second quarter. They brought the energy of a team that was really playing for something (which, of course, they were) by throwing in some three-quarter and full-court presses. Kyle Lowry briefly turned back the clock and Tyler Herro as Miami's lead grew.
Embiid stepped up on defense with a chase-down block but the Sixers' deficit only grew. The offense let time tick away trying to get the ball to Embiid in the post while Miami kept the ball and its players moving, punishing the Sixers' inability to contest shooters after an initial drive. At the half, Philly trailed 67-46.
2nd half
The Sixers kept their starters in to start the second half while the same problems persisted. Embiid still had to fight for positioning in the post but the Sixers found some shooting rhythm out of the break. Butler took matters into his own hands by finding the bottom with some strong takes to the cup and jumpers.
Cutting down the deficit to 13 had injected some life into the crowd but Max Strus and Lowry responded with threes. In between the third and fourth quarters, Melton was ruled out with the same calf tightness that made him questionable to play in the first place. Furkan Korkmaz made his way into the game with 10 minutes left.
Herro added some more points to his stat line, Kevin Love drew multiple (questionable) charge calls and Martin threw down an impressive alley-oop as the benches duked it out. The Sixers' reserves brought as much defensive energy as the rotation guys did — that's to say, not much. Shake Milton notched a double-double. That's about the most noteworthy thing from Philly's side in the fourth quarter.
This game was rough but it shouldn't be a major cause for concern for the Sixers. It was a crummy way to play on fan appreciation night but with nothing to play for, it's not a surprise that the effort wasn't great. Playing Embiid and Harden suggested they were trying to win but their effort was not close to being up to par. Even without the benefit of hindsight, resting them would have been the sensible move. At least their respective minutes in this one were capped at 30 and 28.
Random thoughts:
- Apologies to the Phillies fans for the rainout of Opening Day at Citizens Bank Park. At least, it avoided a headache-inducing parking situation at the stadium complex.
- Jalen McDaniels finished a dunk! Milton tossed him a nice lob and he took care of business.
The Sixers will wrap up the regular season with a pair of road games, starting against the Atlanta Hawks tomorrow night.
