The Miami HEAT face the Philadelphia 76ers Saturday night at Wells Fargo Center. The HEAT defeated the 76ers 125-102 in their last meeting on February 4. Tip-off is set for 7:30 PM. Television coverage on FOX Sports Sun begins at 7:00 PM. You can also listen to the action live on 790 The Ticket.
1: What stood out to you the most about Miami’s victory in Brooklyn?
Couper Moorhead: James Johnson’s overall performance, including a ton of mid-range shots off the dribble that saved possessions, and Goran Dragic’s late buckets helped Miami pull away late, but it was the team’s overall defensive pressure in the second half that was the real story in this one. All season long certain lineups, especially when Erik Spoelstra uses James Johnson at center, have had a certain college feel with the full-court pressure on inbounds, pressure on every pass, pressure on every screen, pressure on every shot and a tenacity on the glass, on both ends, that can just exhaust an opposing team. Especially against teams like Brooklyn that lack those one or two elite individual scorers, Miami’s defense can be such a task to score against that any amount of Heat scoring can be enough in a close game. Earlier in the season Miami wasn’t finding those late points. Now they are, but the defensive identity is the same.
Joe Beguiristain: The primary thing that stood out to me was the team's resolve. Whenever the Nets went on a run or made a big play, the HEAT seemed to have an answer. As a result, Miami never trailed in the fourth quarter even though things got tight. In particular, Goran Dragić and James Johnson led the charge down the stretch and combined for 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting in the period. On the flip side of the ball, Dragić came up with a big steal late in the fourth, while Johnson continued to limit Brook Lopez as much as possible.
When Johnson is on top of his game like he was on Friday night — initiating offense, attacking the basket, hitting pull-up jumpers and defending multiple guys — the HEAT are extremely tough to beat. His versatility is like no other on the team, and his continued strong play will be important as the season continues.
2: How did the previous matchup with Philadelphia play out?
Couper: Not well for Philly. As we’ll discuss in a moment, the 76ers were without both Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor, but Miami went up big and never looked back. As hot as the HEAT have been from the perimeter lately – Friday night in Brooklyn aside – the 76ers win was possibly Miami’s hottest of any game during the streak as they shot 12-of-22 from three and 58.5 percent overall.
Things are always different on the road, as Miami learned back in November when Philly was healthier, but if even if the HEAT don’t score 120.9 points per 100 possessions again, holding Philly to just 41.7 percent shooting will be a good place to start.
Joe: In that last matchup on February 4, Miami pretty much couldn’t miss, as it tallied season-highs in both overall field goal percentage and three-point percentage. Aiding in that cause, of course, was Hassan Whiteside.
Thanks to Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor’s absence, Whiteside feasted inside and notched the first 30-20 game for a HEAT player since Shaquille O’Neal did so in a playoff game against the Bulls in 2006. As a whole, Philadelphia’s other frontcourt players simply didn’t have the strength to keep the 7-foot, 265-pound center out of the paint. Even though Whiteside was unstoppable, five other players scored in double-figures for Miami. Talk about balance.
3: As the 76ers will again be without Joel Embiid, how did they account for his absence the last time out?
Couper: Usually when Embiid isn’t playing – he was hurt for this one but has had scheduled rest games previously this season – then Okafor steps into the starting role and Nerlens Noel remains the backup. That wasn’t an option last time out, but Okafor should be available this time and we would expect him in the starting lineup.
What that means for Philadelphia is simple. With Embiid they’re +3.2 per 100 possessions. Without him they’re -10.8. Okafor gives them a little more scoring punch, but as hard as the 76ers play, and have always played, under coach Brett Brown, they have struggled mightily to defend without their main man in the middle. And without him last time, that meant Hassan Whiteside feasting on the dribble penetration of his guards over and over again.
Joe: As I mentioned before, things were tough for the 76ers in that last meeting without Embiid or Okafor. Although Nerlens Noel is 6-foot-11, he's giving up nearly 40 pounds to Whiteside. This time around though, Okafor should get the start at center and at least provide a more even matchup for Philadelphia in terms of size.
That said, it’ll still be an uphill battle without Embiid. Coup already broke down the numbers above, but basically the 76ers are a completely different team with the 22-year-old out of Cameroon on the floor. With him, they just play with more energy and defend at a much higher level. We’ll see how it all pans out on Saturday night.
Highlights:
Game Notes:
- The HEAT have won 13 straight and are 24-30.
- The 76ers have dropped five of seven and stand at 19-34.
- James Johnson is averaging 19.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.0 steal per game on 60.5 percent shooting in his last three.
- T.J. McConnell leads Philadelphia with 6.0 assists per contest.
Efficiencies (Rank):
- HEAT Offense: 103.0 (26)
- HEAT Defense: 103.7 (6)
- 76ers Offense: 99.4 (30)
- 76ers Defense: 105.9 (16)