As Bam Adebayo exited observe Saturday, he provided the drained maxim of how a playoff collection doesn’t start till somebody wins on the highway.
When it involves Adebayo and the Miami Heat, the hope, in that case, could also be that this collection by no means begins.
Because it effectively might take 4 house victories by the top-seeded Heat to advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the second time in three seasons.
For a second consecutive recreation the Heat have been pushed apart by the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center, this time by a 116-108 rely Sunday night time.
“We’re talking about two really good teams,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra stated. “This is high level competition and it’s a slim margin for error on both sides.”
So after two victories at FTX Arena after which these two losses in Philadelphia, the Heat return house for Tuesday’s 7:30 p.m. Game 5 in a 2-2 tie, with a Thursday 7 p.m. return to Wells Fargo Center additionally assured. A winner-take-all Game 7 within the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal collection, if wanted, could be Sunday in Miami.
Despite a second consecutive breakout night time from Jimmy Butler, the Heat once more have been betrayed by their 3-point capturing, additionally now once more with recurring concern about Kyle Lowry’s balky left hamstring.
“We have just small mental lapses throughout the game,” Adebayo stated.
Butler provided his Sunday finest, with 40 factors, supported by 21 factors from Adebayo, 15 from Victor Oladipo and 11 from Tyler Herro.
All the whereas, Lowry remained hobbled, even whereas closing with seven assists.
Asked about his standing for Tuesday, Lowry would solely say, “Hopefully, we’ll see. The goal is to be out there.”
In transferring to 2-0 since middle Joel Embiid returned from a concussion and orbital fracture, the 76ers received 31 factors from James Harden, 24 from Embiid and 18 from Tyrese Maxey.
“A lot of it comes down to us making shots,” Butler stated. “When we tend to make shots, we play defense. When we don’t, we don’t.”
Five Degrees of Heat from Sunday’s recreation:
1. Closing time: The 76ers led 30-28 on the finish of the opening interval and 64-56 at halftime. The 76ers then went up 11 within the third interval earlier than the Heat closed inside 89-85 going into the fourth.
The 76ers shortly pushed their result in 14 early within the fourth quarter, earlier than an Adebayo 3-point play drew the Heat inside 104-99 with 4:42 remaining.
But thrice Harden stepped up with 3-pointers when the Heat threatened to maneuver nearer, together with one which put the 76ers up 114-103 with 67 seconds to play, successfully ending it.
“We were close. We were banging on the door,” Spoelstra stated. “What we needed was three stops down the end.”
Harden scored 16 factors within the fourth.
“He got it going,” Adebayo stated.
2. Butler once more: As was the case in Friday night time’s loss, Butler as a rule was the Heat’s offense.
That included a six-point possession within the third interval, when he scored, absorbed a flagrant foul from Embiid, drained a free throw, after which, with the Heat retaining possession, drained a 3-pointer.
“Jimmy’s just an elite competitor,” Spoelstra stated. “And he knows what’s needed for the team.”
Butler was coming off Friday’s 33-point efficiency.
He closed 13 of 20 from the sector and 12 of 13 from the road Sunday.
“We got to find ways to help him as a team,” Lowry stated.
3. Limping Lowry: Lowry limped off the court docket and into the locker room with 6:46 left within the second interval, shortly after ending his 0-for-7 begin from the sector to the collection.
Having missed 4 video games and two weeks with a hamstring pressure earlier than returning in Friday night time’s Game 3 loss, Lowry initially slumped over in discomfort after being fouled in transition. He returned to the bench shortly after going to the locker room.
With backup level guard Gabe Vincent, who had began in Lowry’s absence, on the bench with three fouls in his first three minutes, the Heat went extra to Herro and Oladipo as ballhandlers.
The 76ers went on a 9-2 run within the rapid wake of Lowry’s leaving, earlier than he returned with 4:01 left within the second, transferring gingerly thereafter.
Asked if the damage was debilitating, Lowry stated, “Put it this way, you don’t want to play with it.”
Lowry departed for good 2:18 into the fourth quarter.
“We’ll just have to get back to Miami and see,” Spoelstra stated. “He’s such a warrior that we’ll just have to see. There’s nothing right now.”
As his teammates wait.
“Our best chance of winning is with him on the floor,” Butler stated.
4. No shot: The Heat closed 7 of 35 on 3-pointers, with the 76ers dominating that component of the field rating, outscoring the Heat by 27 factors from past the arc.
Before the sport, 76ers coach Doc Rivers forecast, “I wouldn’t be shocked if Duncan Robinson plays some, the way he shoots the ball. The fact that they have him on the bench with all that shooting, just tells you how deep they are.”
Robinson didn’t play.
“Right now, when you look at the percentage, that’s an easy conclusion,” Spoelstra stated postgame when requested whether or not Robinson might have helped. “We pride ourselves on finding different solutions to win.”
Adebayo admitted the capturing was confounding.
“Seven of 35 from three?” Adebayo stated. “That don’t even sound like us. We’ll figure it out.”
The Heat shot 7 of 30 on 3-pointers in Friday’s Game 3 loss.
5. Rotation realignment: With Dewayne Dedmon ailing and never accessible, the Heat rotation was realigned, by downsizing.
When Adebayo went to the bench halfway by the opening interval, Oladipo entered, with 6-foot-5 P.J. Tucker transferring to middle.
Adebayo then returned late within the first quarter rather than Tucker, as with Embiid remaining on the court docket by each of these switches.
Spoelstra’s different possibility at middle was Omer Yurtseven, who had his moments within the center in the course of the common season towards Embiid however didn’t play Sunday.
Instead, when Tucker joined Adebayo on the bench with 4 fouls within the third interval, Markieff Morris made his Heat playoff debut, as an undersized middle.
“[Dedmon] potentially obviously could have really helped,” Spoelstra stated. “We did have to manage through that foul trouble.”
And it might get much more difficult.
“We haven’t seen the best of Joel in this series yet,” Rivers stated. “He’s still getting used to playing with that mask sliding all over his face.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com