The 76ers dominated the first half to beat the Miami Heat 124-117 on Thursday before a poor third quarter turned the game into a close game. Tyrese Maxey scored a 76ers-high 28 points, Joel Embiid added 26 points, and VJ Edgecombe scored an important 19 points, who made several key shots in the game.
This is what I see.
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What a first half!
I’m not sure the Sixers have played any better against a good team all year than they did Thursday night against the Heat. Aside from some hard fouls on defense, they played consistently, allowing all their stars to shine and getting contributions from the entire team. It was great to see this in one of their biggest games of recent times.
The leader of the first quarter was Tyrese Maxey, who made just four 3-pointers against the Heat before surpassing Allen Iverson for Philadelphia’s all-time 3-point field goal record. He hit five runs in the first quarter alone to take a clear lead and begin his long quest to break the record. In the wake of his success, the Sixers have staged a series of 3-point shots throughout Maxey’s career, which really puts the journey of the past six seasons into perspective. During his first COVID-affected season, Maxey took shots in empty gyms and before our eyes he went from bench to All-Star starter, from questionable shooter to one of the league’s best.
As if to drive it home, he hit every type of 3-pointer against Miami, from a still jumper to a pull-up 3-pointer, making him a household name. But give him credit for something other than shooting — and on a night where he could have had success, Maxey took a back seat to his teammates for several minutes in the second quarter. With records broken and the mission of victory firmly in mind, there is plenty of room for others to move on.
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Even after Maxey’s first-quarter howitzer, Embiid still led the 76ers at halftime and was on a mission to get the ball to Bam Adebayo from the first possession. His first shot was a sledgehammer to Adebayo’s chest, and Embiid tossed him away and went deep to score. Embiid played a lot of power basketball in the first 24 minutes, with the Sixers constantly looking to get Embiid the ball in the hands of smaller men in the paint. On one possession in the second quarter, Adebayo was forced to pick up an off-ball foul before even attempting a pass, and Embiid’s constant pressure forced the call.
VJ Edgecombe had few opportunities midway through the first quarter as Maxey set a three-point record and Embiid took shots early. Therefore, the rookie needs to keep himself on the break and rush Miami in transition to get the early offense. That’s not a big issue for a guy with speed and explosiveness, but Edgecomb gave Miami major problems against the run. He had several big moments against the Heat in the first half, including tough One through Adebayo’s slide and a lofted catch from Maxey, who watched his partner skate behind Miami and had no doubt where the ball needed to go next:
After taking some time off during the All-Star break, Edgecomb broke through the rookie wall, and maybe we can all use the Bahamas’ restorative strength. What’s remarkable about Edgecombe is how diverse his impact on the game is. At one point, he blocked Tyler Herro’s baseline jumper after tracking him through multiple screens. Two games later, as the shot clock winds down, he might be shooting a ridiculous step-back 3 from the corner. No one is thinking that a twisting fadeaway from the coffin corner is Edgecombe’s bag this year.
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The glimpse into their ceiling this team provides is pretty special. And then halftime ends…
The third season is here again
To give the Sixers a little breathing room, the Miami Heat had a lot of fluky nonsense in the third quarter on Thursday. Bam Adebayo is shooting 33% from three this season, but prior to the past few years, he was basically a non-factor from three. So when he hits three 3-pointers in a single quarter and covers his face with his hands, I’m not sure what you can do except shrug.
If we try to focus on the Sixers’ mistakes and how Miami got back on track, to me, it comes down to the offense. After a first half in which they dominated primarily through their half-court stars, the third quarter saw more “equal opportunity basketball,” with the likes of Kelly Oubre and Dominic Barlow getting more touches. It doesn’t help that the Heat are spending more time in their own zone, which has confounded the Sixers (and most other teams) for much of Erik Spoelstra’s tenure in Miami. In games without Joel Embiid, the Sixers have no plan or purpose other than kicking the ball back and forth on the perimeter, and Barlow and Bonnar don’t have the ability to quarterback the ball at the foul line.
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Of course, their stars also need to take advantage of the good chances they create. Embiid and Maxey missed some cheap opportunities, including Embiid’s 10-foot jumper and his partner’s baseline miss. Embiid’s deep position almost always works to the Sixers’ advantage, but if it leads to turnovers, they’re likely to be shorthanded at halftime, and Miami punished them on their early offense for much of the third quarter. Tyler Herro came into the starting lineup after the game’s opening kickoff and had a strong performance in the third quarter. Philadelphia’s structure more or less collapsed, and the Heat took advantage of every sloppy possession and live-ball turnover.
Each of the three men who killed Miami in the first half had their share of misfortunes. VJ Edgecombe was relatively inactive until the fourth quarter, badly missing a 3-pointer on his rare opportunity. Maxey and Embiid’s efficiency declined for different reasons, Maxey constantly fighting through doubles and traps, while Embiid tried to punish players arriving on the Heat with fouls, but often failed. The big guy is the worst of the bunch, though. Embiid had nothing going on in the final 24 minutes, and he sat on the bench during the Sixers’ key push midway through the fourth quarter to watch Adem Bonnar help steady Philadelphia heading into the final period.
A lot will depend on whether the young back pairing can take this one home. Maxey kept the team alive late in the third quarter, taking advantage of several switches to line up Tyler Herro and probing Miami inside the three-point line to score at the rim with hard-to-get jumpers. But the rookie took control of the game, with Edgecombe hitting killer mid-range jumpers again and again to keep the Sixers ahead in the fourth quarter. Early, late, it doesn’t seem to matter; if he shoots a two-point jumper, the shot is going to go down. Then they got one final cameo from Embiid, who drew the loudest cheer of the night when he hit a 3-pointer from the corner with 28 seconds left.
But this game was mostly about their first-half performance, let’s put it that way. A great win with a lot to look back on. A coach’s dream!
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Other things to note
— Gotta make sure I mention Kelly Oubre in his own section, and he’s been cheated out of that little space because he’s hit some absolutely huge shots to see that. Without him, they couldn’t win this game. 21 points, every point feels meaningful.
– He got off to a rough start in this game and struggled defensively once or twice, but I thought this game was a good showcase of what Trendon Watford can do for this team in the right role. Watford excelled as an offensive rebounder and connecting passer next to Joel Embiid, so Philadelphia executed some nice plays in the second quarter.
But please don’t be the third guy behind Jabari Walker and Adem Bonner. This trio had to play one of the worst three-way splits in basketball history.