Balanced offensive attack leads Heat past 76ers for 2-0 lead in second-round playoff series
During his pregame media session, coach Doc Rivers used a boxing analogy to explain the Philadelphia 76ers’ Game 1 loss to the Miami Heat.
“If it was a boxing match, we were the counter punchers and we didn’t counter a lot,” Rivers said.
The 76ers didn’t throw enough punches in Game 2 either, as the Heat came away with a 119-103 win on Wednesday night at FTX Arena. Miami now holds a commanding 2-0 lead in the second-round playoff series.
If history is any indication, the Heat is on track to advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the ninth time in franchise history. The Heat owns a perfect 18-0 all-time record in playoff series that it has taken a 2-0 lead in.
“It’s always nice to win,” Heat star Jimmy Butler said. “I think we just did what we’re supposed to do at home.”
The defense has been the consistent force for the Heat throughout the regular season and playoffs, but the offense was the catalyst on Wednesday.
Even with starting point guard Kyle Lowry missing his fourth game in a row with a strained left hamstring, the Heat still managed to shoot 51.3 percent from the field, 14 of 29 (48.3 percent) on threes and 25 of 31 (80.6 percent) from the foul line.
Without All-Star center and MVP candidate Joel Embiid manning the middle, the 76ers’ defense struggled throughout the night. The Heat’s balanced attack included four double-digit scorers in Game 2.
Bam Adebayo and Butler led the way for the Heat, combining for 45 points on 26 shots from the field.
Adebayo recorded 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field and 9-of-11 shooting from the foul line, nine rebounds and three assists.
Butler finished with 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field, six rebounds and 12 assists.
Tyler Herro, who was named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year on Tuesday, celebrated the honor with 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field and 3-of-5 shooting on threes, seven rebounds and three assists off the Heat’s bench. He’s averaging 21.5 points per game on 55.6 percent shooting from the field through the first two games of this second-round series after averaging just 12.8 points on 39.1 percent shooting from the field in the first round.
“In the second half, I thought it was much more intentional,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Particularly with Jimmy’s play-making, Bam receiving a lot of actions and really being able to finish and then Tyler was just making those unscripted plays in between. Our defense really carried us to the win, but we had some really good timely offensive plays.”
Victor Oladipo, who turned 30 on Wednesday, provided a big spark off the Heat’s bench on both ends of the court. He totaled 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field and six rebounds while contributing solid perimeter defense, and scored 10 of his points in the fourth quarter.
The Heat again face-guarded 76ers star guard James Harden and picked him up full court after makes, with veteran forward P.J. Tucker and Oladipo splitting that defensive assignment for most of the night on Wednesday.
With Embiid out, Harden didn’t do enough for the short-handed 76ers. Harden finished with 20 points on 6-of-15 shooting from the field and nine assists.
“They’re doing a good job of putting two on the ball and trying to deny me the entire court,” Harden said.
76ers guard Tyrese Maxey went off for 34 points, but it wasn’t enough as Philadelphia shot a very inefficient 27.5 percent on non-paint shots in Game 2. That negated the 76ers’ 54-42 edge in the paint over the Heat.
The Heat’s offense was sharp from the start, shooting 50 percent from the field and 8 of 17 (47.1 percent) from three-point range in the first two quarters to enter halftime ahead by eight points. Miami led by as many as 14 points in the first half.
The 76ers made a brief run in the opening minute of the third quarter to cut the deficit to just four. But the Heat closed the period on a 31-24 run to enter the fourth quarter with a comfortable 11-point lead.
The Heat extended its lead to as many as 18 points in the final quarter.
For the second straight game, the Heat went with with a four-man bench rotation of Herro, Dewayne Dedmon, Oladipo and Caleb Martin.
The series now shifts to Philadelphia for the next two games., with Game 3 on Friday at 7 p.m. at Wells Fargo Center. Embiid has missed the first two games of the series because of a right orbital fracture and mild concussion, but there’s reportedly some optimism he could return in either Games 3 or 4 in Philadelphia.
“It changes dramatically,” Spoelstra said of the impact Embiid’s potential return could have on the series. “You’re talking about an MVP talent. So we’ll just have to see.”
This story was originally published May 4, 2022 at 10:03 PM.
