Gameday Rundown: HEAT vs. 76ers Game 3

Game 1: It wasn’t always pretty, at least not until a fourth-quarter run that just kept on rolling, but the HEAT took Game 1, 106-92, as they attacked a Philadelphia 76ers team missing Joel Embiid on the glass and in the pick-and-roll – Bam Adebayo’s 24 points on 10 shots were welcome, but of little surprise – while keeping the ball out of James Harden’s hands and the paint simultaneously much in the same way they did to the Atlanta Hawks. Tobias Harris (27 points) and Tyrese Maxey – beating Miami’s press in ways that haven’t happened very often this season – presented thorns in the proverbial side for a time, but by the fourth it didn’t matter with the Sixers shooting 6-of-34 from three. Tough to say how much of this one will carry over to the rest of the series if and when both teams get whole, but tonight it was the 76ers spending the evening looking for answers. One the HEAT got out of their own way after struggling offensively in the first half, the game was theirs as the team playing harder, more disciplined and completely within the identity they built up over a long regular season. Full Recap

Game 2: Another convincing victory for Miami as they took a 2-0 series lead. They let Philadelphia hang around a little longer than they did in Game 1, but the second-half haymaker still came and the result was another double-digit victory, 119-103. Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo all played to their standards while Victor Oladipo – 19 points, a couple big shots in the fourth – again contributed on both ends. The 76ers got a better James Harden performance – better, but not great – with P.J. Tucker again face-guarding and picking up fullcourt after makes, as he put up 20 points with nine assists (though it took 15 shots). They also got positive stretches from Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey (34 points, a lightning bolt in the open floor). They just didn’t get the complimentary shooting they needed (8-of-30 from thee), and against Miami’s scheme you need that complimentary shooting. The HEAT shot 14-of-29 from deep – plus-18 on points from threes in a 16-point game – and are now 31-2 this season when shooting at least 40 percent behind the arc. Philadelphia did find more to work with in this one. They were still -11 when either center, DeAndre Jordan or Paul Reed, was on the floor and that’s the lack of Embiid, but they got downhill more often, pushed in transition and their shot quality was much improved. But solutions can sometimes be double-edged, as leaning into the playing smaller lineups that have been 76ers best options has also meant playing lineups that haven’t been used very often, and that lack of experience keeps showing up on defense where Miami is able to answer every run with plenty of good looks of their own. There might be some pieces from Game 2 that matter as the series goes on the road, but not tonight.Full Recap