The Sixers entered Wednesday night’s contest with a 14-0 record at home.
Well, make that 14-1 now.
Thanks to some fantastic defense and timely shooting by a number of guys, the HEAT held on to beat Philly 108-104 at Wells Fargo Center.
Let’s get right into the huge win.
1. Bam Does It All…As Usual
So…Bam Adebayo was ready for this one.
From the start, the 22-year-old took what the defense gave him, as he finished a bunch of plays inside and knocked down a jumper on his way to a 14-point first half.
That wasn’t all, though, as Adebayo picked apart the Sixers with pinpoint passes and also played fantastic defense after the break.
Just take a look at this block on Joel Embiid late in the fourth where he rotated to help out Jimmy Butler:
Of course, Adebayo also hit two clutch free throws to put the game away for good.
Told you he did it all.
In total, the former Kentucky Wildcat amassed 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting, a team-high nine rebounds, five assists, a team-high two steals (tied with Butler) and a game-high two blocks (tied with Embiid).
2. Nunn Catches Fire
At this point you should know that not much fazes Kendrick Nunn.
That was on full display in Philly, as the rookie scored from all three levels and looked very poised with the ball in his hands.
Another part of not being fazed is hitting tough threes at the end of the shot clock.
Nunn did that twice.
Sheesh.
On the flip side of the ball, the 24-year-old fared well in the zone and remained very active in the passing lanes.
When it was all said and done, Nunn tallied a game-high 26 points on 9-of-18 shooting, including 4-of-8 from deep, five assists, four boards, one steal and a team-high plus-19 rating.
3. Jones Jr. Empties The Tank
Although Derrick Jones Jr. threw down some jams, he continued to be vital to Miami’s zone defense.
All told, both he and Butler wreaked havoc near the top of the key and disrupted the Sixers time and time again.
And nothing quite touches this sequence late in the fourth where Jones Jr. helped force Embiid into a turnover and then hit a huge three on the other end:
In all, the 22-year-old had 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, six rebounds and one assist.
Other Takeaways:
-Duncan Robinson did his usual damage off treys and timely cuts to the basket.
In particular, this three in the fourth quarter was rather impressive:
Robinson finished with 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting, five rebounds, one assist and one block.
-Butler had a relatively quiet night offensively, but he still hit two important free throws to put the HEAT up 106-101 with 33.9 seconds left.
And as mentioned before, the 30-year-old vet played great defense at the top of the zone with Jones Jr.
Butler concluded the evening with 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting, seven rebounds, five assists and a team-high two steals.
Game Notes:
-James Johnson (Personal Reasons) was not with the team.
-Goran Dragić (Right Groin Strain), KZ Okpala (G League - On Assignment), Dion Waiters (Team Suspension) and Justise Winslow (Lower Back Strain) were inactive.
Looking Ahead:
-The HEAT will finally return to Miami for a four-game homestand, beginning Friday at 8PM versus the Knicks. Tickets for that game at AmericanAirlines Arena can be found here.