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Miami Heat vs Philadelphia 76ers
Once again the Miami Heat find themselves taking the hardest route into the postseason but Erik Spoelstra says this is where this team strives. Miami would have to travel to the Wells Fargo Center to take on the Philadelphia 76ers for the first game of the play-in tournament. A win and they lock the 7th seed and a loss will send them back to Miami to face either the Atlanta Hawks or Chicago Bulls. A win would set them up in a series against the New York Knicks. A loss followed by a win on Friday would set them up with a series against the Boston Celtics.
Lead scorer for Miami would be Tyler Herro who put up 25 points but went 9-27 from the field and needs to improve that stat if Miami wants a chance. Jimmy Butler would follow boy wonder with 19 points and another game from Bam Adebayo where he struggled with 10 points. Jaime Jaquez Jr hit big time shots impressing off the bench with 15 points. Kevin Love as well played well off the bench showing his veteran experience with 10 points.
Joel Embiid did not look like his dominant self as he struggles to return from injury but turned it up in the second half finishing with 23 points. Tyrese Maxey continues to show the Heat that they should regret not drafting him finishing the night with 19 points. Kelly Oubre Jr also played a big part in the second half scoring 11 points. The main man was Nicolas Batum who could not be stopped off the bench finishing with 20 points.
The main concern for the Heat happened in the 2nd quarter when Butler went down clutching his knee leaving Alonzo Mourning and Pat Riley with blank faces. Butler would continue the game hobbling and is feared to have a sprained MCL which will sideline him for week pending on an MRI occurring Thursday afternoon. Miami took a lead of 14 points in the 3rd quarter which seemed like they were going to shut the door on the Sixers.
In the 4th quarter it would be Embiid and Batum coming alive to bring the Sixers back into the game. Miami tried to stay alive through Herro and some key big shots from Jaquez Jr. Butler was still in obvious pain and tried his best but was an evident factor. The Sixers would hit all of their free throws down the stretch defeating the Heat 105-104 locking the 7th seed. Miami's season can be hanging in the balance depending on the MRI results for Butler.
Next up for the Miami Heat is a home game welcoming the Chicago Bulls in the second game of the play-in tournament.
Written by: Daniel Torres
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