Heat Rally Past 76ers for Christmas Victory

Heat Rally Past 76ers for Christmas Victory

The Miami Heat pulled off a huge Christmas win over the Philadelphia 76ers to send a message to the rest of the Eastern Conference. While NBA fans didn’t have a historic rivalry like the Lakers-Celtics, the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat had something to look forward to on Christmas Day with former stars Joel Embiid and Jimmy Butler.

The Grinch came early, however, when Embiid was sidelined Christmas Eve with an ankle injury. Then came more bad news, as Butler was ruled out hours before he tipped with a calf strain.

Who did they turn to when each team’s best player was gone? For Philadelphia, it had to be Tyrese Maxey. The guard is having a breakout year and career highlights. However, the Kentucky product went scoreless at the half on 0-for-9 shooting. However, an unsung hero emerged for the 76ers.

Backup center Mo Bamba went to Paul Reed after Reed committed four early fouls that cost Nick Nurse. Bamba scored 14 points on an efficient 6-7 shooting from the field in the first half, helping Embiid pick up the scoring load he missed. On the other hand, Miami’s young trio has stepped up in Butler’s absence. Kentucky duo Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo scored 16 and 14 points, respectively.

Rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 14 points, and while they led the offense, the Heat’s defense shut down Nurse’s offense in the first half. Led by Adebayo, who had two early blocks, the Heat caught fire from both ends to spark a 21-1 run that led to a 63-49 halftime lead. ¨

Then the script flipped in the second half. While Maxey continued to struggle shooting, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Tobias Harris fueled the 76ers’ offense. Mixed with defensive stops and turnovers, Philadelphia erased a 21-point Miami lead to tie the game at 86-86 to end the third quarter.

Although Erik Spolestra rested Adebayo for most of the third quarter, he relied on a lineup centered around Herro and the guard struggled during Philadephia’s run, shooting 2-for-9 from the field. Overall, Miami was outplayed on both ends of the ball as they couldn’t match Philadephia’s intensity as they were outscored 37-23 going into the final period. Unfortunately for Nurse and the 76ers, Jaquez Jr.

and Adebayo picked up where they left off at half-time. Adebayo led the defense while Jaquez Jr continued his attacking career. Although Oubre Jr. and Harris increased the scoring load, Miami’s defense continued its defensive efforts and gave the home crowd a 119-113 victory.