The 76ers (20-8) will look to send holiday cheer from Miami back to Philadelphia on Monday, facing the Miami Heat (17-12) in the fourth matchup of the NBA’s five-game Christmas Day slate.
Do the Sixers get excited to play on Christmas?
“Of course! You’ve got to,” De’Anthony Melton said after Saturday’s practice in Camden.
“As a kid, waking up, seeing sports on TV - it was always a blessing. Now, you’re one of those. You get to see your friends, family, and lots of people waking up and watching you.”
“It’s one of the best times,” Robert Covington added. “Only a select amount of teams get (to play). It’s always a great experience.”
Monday’s matchup marks the first stop on the Sixers’ longest road trip of the season thus far. Following their meeting with Miami, the team will continue their four-game trip with stops in Orlando, Houston, and Chicago to close their 2023 slate.
The trip features four games in just six days, with three of the four opponents (Chicago excluded) holding records above .500.
Nick Nurse looks forward to the challenge ahead.
“The biggest thing that I see is this is going to be a tremendously challenging week, opponent-wise,” Nurse said Saturday. “And I think that’s good. I think that it’s the right time for this. We need some more of this - tough environments, tough opponents, one after another. Let’s see what we’re made of.”
The Sixers will be without the NBA’s leading scorer and reigning MVP Joel Embiid (right ankle sprain) and Nico Batum (right hamstring) for Monday’s matchup in Miami. Mo Bamba (illness) and Covington (right knee effusion) are probable.
Monday marks Tyrese Maxey’s first career opportunity to play on Christmas Day (Maxey missed last year’s Christmas win at New York due to injury). Maxey’s 26.4 points per game this season are his career-best, and the 14th-highest scoring average in the NBA.
The Sixers were last without Embiid in Miami on March 1 (2022-23 season). Maxey delivered a game-high 27 points and game-high seven assists en route to a 119-96 Sixers win.
For the Heat, Dru Smith (right ACL sprain) is out. Former Sixers Jimmy Butler (left calf strain) and Haywood Highsmith (non-covid illness) are questionable, while Josh Richardson (back spasms) is probable.
OPPONENT OUTLOOK
The Heat (17-12) occupy the No. 5 spot in the Eastern Conference, half a game behind their fellow Floridian Orlando Magic (17-11).
Miami is 6-4 in its last 10 games, most recently beating the Atlanta Hawks Friday, 122-113.
Tyler Herro led the way for the Heat in Friday’s victory, finishing with a co-game-high 30 points (along with Trae Young who also scored 30), plus seven rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Herro shot 11-for-21 overall and 7-for-13 from long range.
Herro leads Miami in scoring this season, averaging 24.2 points per game in his 11 games played thus far (ankle).
Bam Adebayo, who finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and two steals Friday, is averaging 21.8 points and a team-high 9.6 rebounds per game this season. Jimmy Butler has averaged 21.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and a team-best 4.6 assists per game this season thus far.
FRIDAY’S KEY PERFORMANCES
Tyrese Maxey
- Maxey scored a co-team-best (along with Tobias Harris) 33 points, plus four rebounds and 10 assists Friday versus Toronto, shooting 13-for-22 overall and finishing at a game-high +17 in his game-high 41 minutes of play.
Tobias Harris
- Harris neared triple-double territory with his 33-point, 8-rebound, 7-assist performance, shooting 12-for-23 from the field, 5-for-9 from long range, and 4-for-4 from the foul line in his 38 minutes.
Joel Embiid
- Embiid was a single assist shy of his own triple-double, finishing with 31 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists, two steals, and four blocks in his 35 minutes of play.
FOLLOW ALONG
Monday’s matchup is an 8:00 p.m. ET start in Miami.
Watch: ESPN
Listen: 97.5 The Fanatic
UNIFORMS
The Sixers are scheduled to wear their white Association Edition uniforms, while the Heat will wear their red Statement Edition uniforms.
@SIXERS SOCIAL