Getty Joel Embiid and Dewayne Dedmon battled on December 15 before the Miami Heat walked away with the 101-96 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
If you missed the Heat-Sixers game on Wednesday night, just fast forward to the fourth quarter. The contest was mostly a snooze fest until Isaiah Joe’s three-pointer ignited a furious Philly comeback.
That set off a frenetic chain of events fueled by Tyrese Maxey’s boundless energy. The second-year guard was everywhere: diving for loose balls, driving for contested lay-ups, playing lock-down defense. None of it was enough. Miami walked out with a 101-96 victory at the Wells Fargo Center after blowing a 23-point lead.
The undermanned Heat – no Bam Adebayo, no Jimmy Butler, no Tyler Herro – led from start to finish, minus a 9-6 Sixers’ lead three minutes into the contest. The only other time Miami didn’t lead was for for a 90-second stretch in the fourth when it was tied up at 96-96.
Gabe Vincent (26 points) was the hero for Miami. His dagger triple with 39.4 seconds thwarted the Philly comeback.
“I had a look a the rim for a brief second and I tried not to hesitate,” said Vincent. “I’m just trying to win a game. I knew we needed a bucket.”
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Heat 101, Sixers 96: 5 Things We Saw
1. Duncan Robinson vs. Matisse Thybulle: Four nights after putting the clamps on Steph Curry, Matisse Thybulle looked almost human against Duncan Robinson. You could tell the Miami sharpshooter was in his head with 3:14 left in the second quarter. Robinson walked into the Sixers forward and draped himself around him, only the refs called the foul on Thybulle. It was that kind of night. Robinson went 4-of-11 from deep for 21 points.
Duncan Robinson was the story of the first quarter. He scored a game-high 11 points, including 8 of them with Matisse Thybulle on him (by my count).
Also, Meek Mill is in the house — #Heat lead #Sixers 29-18 after the first quarter. #HereTheyCome
2. Don’t Blame Tyrese Maxey: The energetic point guard emptied the tank in this one. He bottled up Kyle Lowry on the defensive end, while hitting clutch buckets to get his team back in the game. Maxey drilled two 3-pointers to fuel an 8-0 run in the second quarter that cut the Heat lead to nine. Then he scored six straight points in the fourth to cut it to five. One problem: Maxey was on the bench at the same time Embiid was resting. That can’t happen.
3. Gabe Vincent Buys Dinner: The star of the evening was undoubtedly Gabe Vincent. He scored a team-high 26 points for Miami, none bigger than his dagger triple with 39.4 seconds left. He had had injured All-Star Victor Oladipo – yes, he traveled and sat on the bench in street clothes – jumping up and leading cheers from the Heat bench. Vincent credited Dewayne Dedmon for setting screens for him all night. He promised to buy him dinner during his post-game press conference.
GABE VINCENT FOR THE LEAD!
@MiamiHEAT 99
@sixers 96
He’s up to a career-high 7 threes…39 seconds left on League Pass: t.co/QW4aglgruM
4. Joel Embiid Playing Hurt: It’s been the theme of the Sixers’ season: a sluggish-yet-determined Embiid gutting out 40 minutes on a bad knee or sore rib. The 7-footer gave his team 37 minutes against Miami, then rolled his ankle in the fourth quarter. Remember, Embiid was a game-time decision after sitting out in Memphis. He finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds but struggled against Dedmon’s defense. His continued health remains the biggest question mark.
5. COVID-19 Wreaking Havoc: Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers said, “I’m worried” when asked about the spike in COVID-19 cases across the NBA. Georges Niang was the latest Sixers player to go into the league’s health and safety protocols. He didn’t play on Wednesday night. Ditto for Heat wing Caleb Martin. Miami coach Erik Spoelstra shared Rivers’ pessimism and remarked: “We’re still fighting a global pandemic.”
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