Neither the Sixers nor the Heat had anything close to a full-strength team for the game Tuesday night at Wells Fargo Center.
However, for the first time in their last three games, the Sixers had a manpower advantage. They managed to make dramatic money by defeating an eight-man team in overtime with a score of 137-134 and improving the season to 8-4.
Two-way player Dakota Mathias nailed the leading three-pointer with 26.1 seconds left in overtime, his only points in the game. After that, he guarded Tyler Herro well and forced the Heat guard to miss a difficult try from the right wing.
Eight Miami players were eliminated for health and safety reasons. The Sixers had ten players available, including Ben Simmons, who has returned after missing the last two games with left knee swelling. However, Tony Bradley and Paul Reed did not play, meaning it was effectively an 8-on-8 game.
Here are observations on the Sixers’ wild victory over the Heat:
Embiid’s big second half (and OT), Simmons’ struggle
Veterans Danny Green and Mike Scott, who combined to shoot 0 for 12 for long distance in Atlanta, were actually the Sixers’ most productive attacking players in the first half, with a total of 25 of the 55 points. Green kept it going after halftime, scoring 29 points and scoring 9 of 21 tries in the game. He’s been doing this long enough not to be discouraged by a bad shooting night or two.
Simmons created three points for his teammates, as usual, but was otherwise offensively weak in the first half. He attempted only one field goal, turned it over five times and made three errors, including two charges. We can not get much out of a single game in which 18 players were active in total. Even with his recent injury in mind, it’s obviously fair to say Simmons was not at his best this evening. He disappeared with 3:29 still regulating and finishing with five points, six rebounds and 12 assists.
Joel Embiid took over in the third quarter and scored 20 points in the period. The big man finished inside, drained jumpers, made mistakes and did just about anything he wanted. Matches against rookie Precious Achiuwa and Chris Silva were clearly favorable for Embiid, but he was nonetheless very impressive, especially the second night of a rugby player.
During a chaotic sequence at the end of the regulation, Green missed a potential try, and Embiid was polluted after seizing the offensive rebound. Head coach Doc Rivers then set up an isolation at the top of the key for Embiid against Achiuwa in the ensuing off-field game, and he penetrated with a pull-up jumper from the left elbow to level the game.
In overtime, Embiid plays again at the superstar level he reached in the third quarter, hitting weaker jumpers and the Sixers offense. His last stately line: 45 points, 16 rebounds, five steals, four assists.
Defensive errors
We assumed the Sixers would stifle the Heat attack with both Simmons and Embiid in the series. The team had a strong defensive rating of 102.7 when its two stars were on the floor this season, according to Cleaning the Glass, and Miami lacked key playmakers in Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic. Surely, against an exhausted opponent, the Sixers would look like the team that led the league in the defensive onslaught early in the season. We were wrong.
The Sixers allowed Miami’s sharpshooters too many open appearances, and struggled to locate players on the screens, help too much, or simply not quit with sufficient urgency. They also committed several costly offenses on jumpers. The fact that Embiid and Simmons are on the track does not guarantee defensive success; the Sixers must still pay attention to the details at the end of the court.
The team’s effort was a little better in the second half, although Herro, Duncan Robinson and two-pointer Gabe Vincent all scored more than 20 points and helped Miami to an unlikely victory.
Growing concern, protocols added
Thursday’s Sixers vs. Heat match will now air at 7pm and will no longer be broadcast on TNT, the NBA has announced. These games in which both schedules are shrunk by COVID-19 protocols are apparently not appealing to a national audience (although these were certainly entertaining in the fourth quarter and overtime).
The NBA and NBPA on Tuesday announced additional health and safety protocols. Players must wear masks on the bench at all times, the locker room meetings of the forecast are limited to ten minutes and all participants must wear masks, and players and team staff may not leave their hotel or communicate with guests in the hotel. You can read the full press release on the new measures here.
“I think it comes from the outside in, so we only have to be vigilant if we are not from arenas and training facilities,” Rivers said before the game, “because I think it’s the safest place to be. This is when we step outside when the real world comes into our bubble. ”
The Celtics-Magic and Wizards-Jazz games scheduled for Wednesday have been postponed for healthy and safety seasons, making it six postponed NBA games this season. The Sixers play twice next week with Boston.
It’s an understatement to say that the past few days the NBA has been ominous. Fewer matches now remain on the schedule, but the health and safety situation and competitive imbalances are important. It remains issues worth acknowledging, even on an evening that has yielded a wild game and exciting finish.