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MIAMI -- The Philadelphia 76ers paid a visit to the Miami Heat on Monday night in another must-win game in terms of the East standings. With everything so jam-packed, the Sixers and the Heat did battle in downtown Miami with the winner earning the tiebreaker on the season--much like Philadelphia's previous matchup with the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday.
The Sixers found themselves in trouble early as they trailed the Heat by 12 in the first quarter, but they settled themselves down, and took the lead by halftime, but Miami did rally and earn a 119-109 win led by Tyler Herro's 30 points. The Heat drew a game on the Sixers and they now own the tiebreaker for the final standings if it comes down to that.
Paul George had 19 points for Philadelphia while Joel Embiid had 26 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, Tyrese Maxey had 23 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds, and VJ Edgecombe had 13 and four assists. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 11 points and 11 rebounds while Quentin Grimes had 11 points.
Here are the player grades following the loss:
Easing himself into this game, Maxey got going late in the first quarter. The Heat run a really funky zone defense and it can throw off opposing guards at times, but Maxey was able to get a jumper on the baseline which allowed him to get going on the offensive end as he found a bit of a rhythm in that respect for a bit. After that stretch, it was tough sledding for Maxey as he was unable to really find any type of groove. The Heat deserve credit for bottling him up a bit as their zone slowed them down in a number of ways. To his credit, he kept his head down and attacked which led to him getting to the line and helping the scoreboard move.
The rookie had something of a home game in this one. With Miami being so close to his native Bahamas, there were a ton of Bahamians in the crowd cheering him on with every bucket and dribble move. He seemed to feed off that as he knocked down some tough shots while being able to be a pest on the defensive end. He did have a tough third quarter when he picked up a couple of fouls that were questionable and then let the officiating know about it which led to a tech. It was a tough second half for Edgecombe.
One has to give George a lot of credit. He looks excellent since the slow first half against the Bulls in his return from the suspension. He was terrific in this one as he put his head down and exploded to the basket and he knocked down a tough 3-pointer as well in the early going. However, much like with Maxey and Embiid, it was a slow night for him. He couldn’t build on his strong start and it led to some tough moments despite him being able to get to his spots on the offensive end. His overall numbers weren’t bad in this one, and he was good in this one, but there were some tough moments for him after the fast start.
The big man did usual Barlow things which was helpful in this one. He was in the right spots offensively to provide spacing against this Heat zone and he was active on the defensive end. He just does the little things that help a team win and the Sixers need somebody like that on a regular basis.
The big fella had some good moments early, but it also felt as if he was looking for the foul rather than looking to score as he had a few tough shots that went Miami’s way as the Heat built a lead. Either way, he knocked down shots early, was big on the defensive end, and was helpful on the glass when Miami turned to big man Kel’el Ware off its bench. However, as the night wore on, Embiid had trouble finding any groove. He was frustrated with the officiating as he didn’t get a few calls in the third and the Heat grew their lead again. After a break, he returned in the fourth and put the Sixers in control with some big buckets, but then missed some bunnies and had some tough defensive moments as the Heat battled back.
The initial stint for Oubre was a tough one as he struggled with his shot. He had some good looks as he had a wide-open look from beyond the arc that he just missed and he had some struggles in the paint as well. To his credit, Oubre played with a ton of energy and continued to attack as he normally does. He competed on the defensive end and was helpful on the glass despite the poor shooting night. That allowed him to make a positive impact.
Grimes had a fantastic look for an alley-oop slam in his initial stint, but he wasn’t able to finish it. He did stay with it and had a score off the offensive rebound so there’s that. The 5-year man out of Houston had some good defensive moments as well. He knocked down a couple of 3s as well as he gave the Sixers a big boost in that department.
It was a nice initial stint for Bona. The Sixers just needed him to step in and give Embiid a rest and he did so with some good minutes. He knocked down a couple of free throws and was helpful on the rebounds which is always what the Sixers are looking for. His speed and quickness allowed Philadelphia to get out and tun to get ahead of this Heat zone defense.
Edwards had a quick stint as he only played a minute in the first half.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Player grades: Sixers come up short to Heat in critical matchup
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The Sixers found themselves in trouble early as they trailed the Heat by 12 in the first quarter, but they settled themselves down, and took the lead by halftime, but Miami did rally and earn a 119-109 win led by Tyler Herro's 30 points. The Heat drew a game on the Sixers and they now own the tiebreaker for the final standings if it comes down to that.
Paul George had 19 points for Philadelphia while Joel Embiid had 26 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, Tyrese Maxey had 23 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds, and VJ Edgecombe had 13 and four assists. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 11 points and 11 rebounds while Quentin Grimes had 11 points.
Here are the player grades following the loss:
Tyrese Maxey: B
Easing himself into this game, Maxey got going late in the first quarter. The Heat run a really funky zone defense and it can throw off opposing guards at times, but Maxey was able to get a jumper on the baseline which allowed him to get going on the offensive end as he found a bit of a rhythm in that respect for a bit. After that stretch, it was tough sledding for Maxey as he was unable to really find any type of groove. The Heat deserve credit for bottling him up a bit as their zone slowed them down in a number of ways. To his credit, he kept his head down and attacked which led to him getting to the line and helping the scoreboard move.
VJ Edgecombe: B-minus
The rookie had something of a home game in this one. With Miami being so close to his native Bahamas, there were a ton of Bahamians in the crowd cheering him on with every bucket and dribble move. He seemed to feed off that as he knocked down some tough shots while being able to be a pest on the defensive end. He did have a tough third quarter when he picked up a couple of fouls that were questionable and then let the officiating know about it which led to a tech. It was a tough second half for Edgecombe.
Paul George: B
One has to give George a lot of credit. He looks excellent since the slow first half against the Bulls in his return from the suspension. He was terrific in this one as he put his head down and exploded to the basket and he knocked down a tough 3-pointer as well in the early going. However, much like with Maxey and Embiid, it was a slow night for him. He couldn’t build on his strong start and it led to some tough moments despite him being able to get to his spots on the offensive end. His overall numbers weren’t bad in this one, and he was good in this one, but there were some tough moments for him after the fast start.
Dominick Barlow: B
The big man did usual Barlow things which was helpful in this one. He was in the right spots offensively to provide spacing against this Heat zone and he was active on the defensive end. He just does the little things that help a team win and the Sixers need somebody like that on a regular basis.
Joel Embiid: B-minus
The big fella had some good moments early, but it also felt as if he was looking for the foul rather than looking to score as he had a few tough shots that went Miami’s way as the Heat built a lead. Either way, he knocked down shots early, was big on the defensive end, and was helpful on the glass when Miami turned to big man Kel’el Ware off its bench. However, as the night wore on, Embiid had trouble finding any groove. He was frustrated with the officiating as he didn’t get a few calls in the third and the Heat grew their lead again. After a break, he returned in the fourth and put the Sixers in control with some big buckets, but then missed some bunnies and had some tough defensive moments as the Heat battled back.
Kelly Oubre Jr.: B
The initial stint for Oubre was a tough one as he struggled with his shot. He had some good looks as he had a wide-open look from beyond the arc that he just missed and he had some struggles in the paint as well. To his credit, Oubre played with a ton of energy and continued to attack as he normally does. He competed on the defensive end and was helpful on the glass despite the poor shooting night. That allowed him to make a positive impact.
Quentin Grimes: B-plus
Grimes had a fantastic look for an alley-oop slam in his initial stint, but he wasn’t able to finish it. He did stay with it and had a score off the offensive rebound so there’s that. The 5-year man out of Houston had some good defensive moments as well. He knocked down a couple of 3s as well as he gave the Sixers a big boost in that department.
Adem Bona: B
It was a nice initial stint for Bona. The Sixers just needed him to step in and give Embiid a rest and he did so with some good minutes. He knocked down a couple of free throws and was helpful on the rebounds which is always what the Sixers are looking for. His speed and quickness allowed Philadelphia to get out and tun to get ahead of this Heat zone defense.
Justin Edwards: Incomplete
Edwards had a quick stint as he only played a minute in the first half.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Player grades: Sixers come up short to Heat in critical matchup
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