Miami Heat comes alive in second half, blitzes 76ers to win opener of playoff series
This wasn’t the start-to-finish stressless joyride that might have seemed likely after the Heat sprinted to a 25-11 lead against Philadelphia at the outset of their second-round series on Monday night.
But the Heat’s 106-92 win against Philadelphia in Game 1 at FTX Arena was a testament to Miami’s resiliency, because the Heat - once again - showed it could steady itself after taking a punch and then knock out a teetering opponent.
Blitzed by a big Philadelphia run that gave the 76ers their first lead of the night just before halftime, the Heat raised its intensity - and its execution - to a far higher level in the third quarter, outscoring Philadelphia 18-7 to take an eight-point lead after three, and then stampeding the 76ers in the fourth.
The 76ers hung around for a time but never drew closer than eight in the fourth, as the Heat maintained its relentless energy on defense and kept stretching their lead, which reached 21 at one point.
With the Kentucky guys (Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro) at the epicenter, the Heat outscored Philadelphia 48-28 over the first 18 minutes of the second half.
Philadelphia, playing without MVP candidate Joel Embiid in Game 1, shot just 6 for 34 on three-pointers (17.6 percent) and was beaten on the glass (47-37).
“Their physicality had an impact,” 76ers coach Doc Rivers said. “They were the far tougher, more physical team tonight.”
Meanwhile, the Heat’s defense, victimized off the dribble in the first half, stiffened in man-to-man and weaved in effective doses of zone to stymie the 76ers in the second half.
Adebayo seized on Embiid’s absence, putting together his most impressive performance of this postseason: 24 points (8 for 12 shooting), 10 rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block.
And this was a night that Herro returned to his regular season, Sixth Man of the Year form after struggling somewhat in the opening round (12.9 points, 39.1 percent shooting).
Herro scored 25 on 9 for 17 shooting, including 4 for 6 on threes, and dished out seven assists and did not commit a turnover.
“Doing what he does, he makes it look easy,” Adebayo said.
Herro unleashed a personal 10-0 run in the first half and hit several big baskets in the second half, including a three that pushed the lead to 96-77.
Jimmy Butler was off with his shot (5 for 16) but was an asset, as usual, with 15 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals.
PJ Tucker, Adebayo and Gabe Vincent injected a needed surge of energy in the third quarter, blunting a 76ers run. Adebayo and Vincent each had eight points in the third.
And Tucker - who did a good job on James Harden when assigned to cover him - was a whirlwind of activity throughout the game but particularly in the third quarter, grabbing two offensive rebounds on one possession, harassing 76ers scorers and scoring five of his 10 points in the third.
“The second half, they ran different defenses,” 76ers forward Tobias Harris said. “They trapped, they pressed. We allowed their physicality to impact the game. That can’t happen.”
The Heat withstood 27 points from Harris, 16 from Harden and 19 from Tyrese Maxey.
For a while, this was a night Miami missed Kyle Lowry’s playmaking and scoring, with Lowry still sidelined by a hamstring injury. Miami had more turnovers (10) than assists (eight) in the first half.
But the Heat took far better care of the ball in the second half, with 10 assists and one turnover until the game’s final two minutes.
Vincent, who filled in admirably for Lowry in the final two games of the first-round series against Atlanta, overcame a bit of a slow start and played an exceptional second half.
Rivers started DeAndre Jordan in place of Embiid, and that proved regrettable. But Rivers said afterward that he will continue to start Jordan.
Exposing Jordan in pick-and-rolls, the Heat spurted to an 18-6 lead with Jordan on the court.
That wasn’t surprising considering that with Jordan on the court this season, Philadelphia permitted 119.6 points per 100 possessions. For perspective, the NBA’s worst defensive team this season, the Houston Rockets, allowed 116.4 points per 100 possessions.
The margin eventually grew to 25-11, before a few dynamics changed for the duration of the first half: Philadelphia went to a smaller lineup and the 76ers’ most skilled available offensive players - Harden, Harris and Maxey - began to drive past Heat defenders more often than not in the second quarter.
On the other end, the 76ers started playing a lot of zone, and the Heat shot poorly (42 percent overall and 4 for 16 on threes in the first half) and committed too many turnovers -- 10 before halftime.
The 76ers closed the first half on a 19-7 run to take a 51-50 lead, their first lead of the night.
But the Heat effort after halftime far more resembled the way Miami played in its first-round series, when it ousted Atlanta 4-1.
“I think our offense got us in trouble in that second quarter,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “The turnovers, we were just a little bit disjointed. Not real organized. Then we just were able to get a little bit more organized in the second half and defensively we really picked up the intensity, but we did it with a little bit more thought and a little bit more discipline and then there were inspiring offensive rebounds and extra possessions.
“Just those extra efforts I think just ignited everybody on the team. That was P.J., Bam, both of those guys again were just terrific.”
While Adebayo, Herro, Tucker and Vincent were rolling, Harden scored just four points on 1 for 4 shooting after halftime. He took only 13 shots for the game and finished with as many turnovers (five) as field goals.
“You can’t ask for a better player to guard [Harden] than PJ Tucker,” Adebayo said.
Spoelstra, incidentally, stuck the Victor Oladipo (five points, five rebounds, 2 for 8 shooting) and opted not to use Duncan Robinson.
The 76ers emerged confident. “We can beat this team,” forward Paul Reed said. “If we keep them on their heels, they’re going to fold.”
Game 2 is 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at FTX Arena, with TNT televising.
This story was originally published May 2, 2022 at 9:50 PM.
