It wasn’t the star-studded clash it was previously billed as but the Philadelphia 76ers (20-9) still took on the Miami Heat (18-12) in a Christmas showdown in South Beach. With Joel Embiid and Jimmy Butler both out, the Sixers fought hard but lost by a score of 119-113.

Let's break down the Sixers' Christmas showdown with the Heat.

Sixers player notes:

Tyrese Maxey: 12 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 4-20 FG shooting

Once again facing the challenge of leading the Sixers without Embiid proved to be TOUGH for Maxey. He went scoreless in the first half as Miami went all out to slow him down. Clearly, it worked. His shots came up short on a lot of the open shots he was able to get. This was not only not his game but he had no easy way to get his rhythm.

What is fair to note, though, is that Maxey missed out on a lot of calls he should have gotten. It shouldn’t be pointed to as the main reason for his struggles but some extra free throws would have been nice to have. But even when he got some calls late in the game, he came up empty on some of those looks from the charity stripe, too. This was not a holly, jolly Christmas for the happiest Sixer in the land, unfortunately.

Tobias Harris: 27 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 10-18 FG shooting

Harris looked good once again, shooting the ball well and providing at least a decently stable source of shot creation. He wasn’t moving and grooving like he was on Friday but he played a brand of ball that the Sixers could use from him every night. More than simply making his shots, Harris was looking for lots of good shots and making an impact on how Philly played hard.

Kelly Oubre Jr.: 25 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 9-16 FG shooting

When the Sixers needed it most, Oubre shot the air out of the ball and launched from deep time after time. He did a good job attacking with the ball and getting up lots of looks from deep.

Mo Bamba: 18 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 7-8 FG shooting

After looking nearly lost in the preseason, Bamba looked spectacular in this game. His quick shot release (for a big) and nose for the ball made a huge difference with Embiid out and Paul Reed in foul trouble from the jump.

Heat player notes:

Bam Adebayo: 26 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks, 9-15 FG shooting

Adebayo got everything going for the Heat on both ends. He made some crazy blocks and got the ball moving on offense. The way he serves as a lead playmaker and dangerous lob threat is a rare blend of skills. He also took care of business at the free-throw line.

Jaime Jaquez Jr.: 31 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 11-15 FG shooting

It's clear to see why Miami loves this guy. He plays hard with a great sense of maturity and can do a lot of things on the court. Sure, it's not super shocking that a four-year college guy is good right away. But it's clear that the Heat instantly have someone who will be a high-impact wing for a long time. He punctuated his first NBA Christmas game with a career-high in points.

Game recap:

1st half

Embiid's ankle issue turned out to be more serious than previously thought, as it is enough to keep him out for at least one game despite playing through it and having two days to rest. While it still doesn’t seem like anything major, it did leave the Sixers shorthanded in their first matchup of the season against the Heat, though they were missing their main star, too. Philly gave Reed the start at center while Miami went with the same Butler-less starting five of Lowry-Herro-Martin-Jaquez-Adebayo.

Tobias Harris showed his X-mas spirit with nine quick points and Kelly Oubre Jr. did the same with a block at the rim and a dunk to open the scoring for Philly. Nick Nurse challenged a call three minutes into the game and was successful, which not only continues his streak of successful challenges but has to set — or encroach upon, at least — the record for the earliest time for a challenge in a game.

The Heat gifted the Sixers plenty of turnovers to start the game and they took advantage despite Maxey not being able to hit a shot early on. Harris and Oubre combined for 16 points in the first seven minutes on 6-8 shooting. The Sixers' defense stayed locked down on the Heat's off-ball movement and turned that coal into presents. (Sick of Christmas puns/references yet? Too bad.)

Marcus Morris Sr. and Mo Bamba were the first subs off the Sixers' bench. The Heat eventually got their ish together as standout rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. fueled a 14-1 run over nearly six minutes to take the lead by the end of the first quarter.

Reed was hit with his third foul call in the first two minutes of the second quarter. Nurse interestingly kept him in — and even more interestingly, went to K.J. Martin and Danuel House Jr. over Robert Covington. But then Reed forced his hand by getting his fourth, sending Bamba back in. Not only did Reed hurt the Sixers but he also hurt his own chance to have a statement performance in a key game.

The Sixers' offensive woes continued, even with Maxey on the court. When they couldn’t get out running, the searches for points came up empty. Bamba came through with some play-finishing buckets, scoring 14 points on 6-6 shooting through his first 12 minutes. Without that run, the Heat and their hot shooting could have started to really pull away.

At the half, the Sixers trailed 63-49.

2nd half

The Sixers started the second half with a three-second call on defense — not great. R.J. Hampton started the half for Miami after Martin was ruled out for the rest of the game due to an ankle sprain. Bamba started the half for the Sixers. Maxey finally got on the scoreboard with a layup as Philly got the deficit down to 10 thanks to another triple from Bamba.

Slowly but surely, the Sixers put together sound defensive possessions in a zone (aided by their tactic to let Hampton shoot) and got some big plays from Melton as the lead shortened to five. An Oubre and-one drive made it three. After some back-and-forth, a Melton fast-break triple made it two. And then Harris called his own number after drawing Herro on a switch and tied it late in the third quarter. Jaden Springer found his way into the game at the end of the period as a defensive substitute.

The Sixers went to the Morris-at-center look to start the fourth quarter, a curious decision with Adebayo in the game, but it didn’t prove to be disastrous. The Miami offense kept its free flow, finding open scorers on spot-ups and cuts. The Philly offense wasn’t totally stagnant but certainly needed more plays like Oubre hoisting a three to beat the shot clock after Maxey got caught in a trap at halfcourt. Call them Christmas miracles, which aptly describes the Sixers being in this game despite Maxey's frigid shooting.

Jaquez continued to make plans for the Heat, notably on the offensive glass, as the Heat silenced the Sixers' offense for long enough to go up by multiple possessions. Big triples from Duncan Robinson gave Miami a massive boost. Philly just didn’t have enough in the tank down the stretch to get the win.

The effort tonight was awesome but even still, the Sixers have to find a way to be better without Embiid. This game shouldn’t be chalked up to an outlier bad Maxey game. It could cost them a place in the standings if Embiid misses even a decently long period of time. No one will expect them to win in the playoffs without him but Maxey, Harris and Nurse in particular need to figure out how to put together a strong game from start to finish and eventually steal a win.

Random rumblings:

  • The NBA has no reason not to bring back Christmas uniforms. The snowflake on the top of the back of the jersey was a nice touch but not enough.

The Sixers will continue their road trip on Wednesday against the Orlando Magic.