Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat were in Philadelphia Monday night taking on the short-handed 76ers. Philadelphia was without their two top players in James Harden and Joel Embiid. Miami came into this game winning four out of their last six and Philadelphia won three out of their last six trying to catch Miami for the race for the first seed in the Eastern Conference.
With Harden and Embiid out, Miam came into this game looking to roll and continue their dominance within the Eastern Conference. Unfortunately, this was not the case as Philly pulled away at the end of the fourth quarter leaving Miami with a three-game lead over the 76ers for the top spot in the East.
Heating Up But Cooling Off
This game was a back and forth battle for the entire length. Neither team pulled away for the entire duration for more than a few minutes and a couple of points. Miami came out strong from the get-go. Butler scored a quick 10 points in the first half and Miami had the energy needed to compete. Bam Adebayo added 22 points on an efficient 9/14 shooting. Kyle Lowry was on fire from downtown, hitting 6/11 and showing up in big moments. Usually, this would be enough to get the job done, but Philly would not quit and get the best of Miami Monday night.
Philadelphia Rolls
Philadelphia kept up with Miami for the whole game and ultimately pulled away for the win within the final minutes. Young phenom Tyrese Maxey showed the league that he’s as good as they come. Five Sixers players scored at least 14 points in this one as a well-rounded performance helped take down Miami. The final minutes came and the Wells Fargo Center went berserk. Tyrese Maxey took over the game and hit shot after shot which led the crown to erupt and help seal the win for Philadelphia.
What’s Next?
Miami is back home for the start of a four-game homestead on Wednesday night against Klay Thompson and the Golden State Warriors.