Three observations after Sixers lost a 19-point lead to Heat and suffered a dismal defeat originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The late news that Joel Embiid was available didn’t bring the Sixers back to victory.
Instead, the team suffered a dismal defeat Monday night, blowing a 19-point lead in the second quarter and falling to a 106-89 loss to the Heat.
The Sixers are now 2-11, the Heat are 6-7.
Embiid was listed as questionable for much of Monday due to an illness and was officially upgraded to available about 30 minutes before tipoff. He scored 11 points on 5-for-11 shooting, eight rebounds and five assists.
Jared McCain was the Sixers’ leading scorer with 20 points, reaching that mark for the fifth straight game. Paul George had 18 points on 5-for-13 shooting, six rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Miami got a 30-point, 10-rebound performance from Jimmy Butler. Tyler Herro added 18 points, including 16 in the third quarter.
Tyrese Maxey (right hamstring strain) missed his sixth straight game due to a right hamstring strain. Jaime Jaquez Jr. (sprained right ankle) and the Heat’s Terry Rozier (right foot discomfort) were sidelined.
The Sixers will complete their three-game road trip against the Grizzlies on Wednesday night. Here are observations on their loss in Miami:
McCain and George lift Sixers to significant lead
George scored the Sixers’ first five points, Butler the Heat’s first four. Returning from a sprained right ankle, Butler was physical and powerful early. His and-one layup to former teammate Caleb Martin gave Miami a 20-15 lead.
The Sixers leaned on George for almost the entire first quarter. He scored a dozen points in the first, played active defense and sparked an Embiid-less spurt late in the quarter.
After a slow start with a few turnovers, McCain also flourished late in the first. He made two 3-pointers, threw a fast-break assist forward to Andre Drummond and seemed to make a positive play every few seconds.
Early in the second quarter, McCain showed off his inside-the-arc craft. He slid to the hoop for a slick layup, drilled a mid-range jumper and spun around fellow rookie Pelle Larsson before knocking in a scoop shot that extended the Sixers’ lead to 46-27.
While he has occasionally made mistakes in tight, nifty defense, McCain has generally done an excellent job of quickly recognizing how opponents are guarding him and countering it effectively. He certainly had the moves and game sense to match his immense confidence.
Sixers rely on jumpers and do very little at the foul line
Especially considering the Sixers have only two overtime wins this season, a running right back in Miami seemed inevitable.
With a spark from benchmen Alec Burks and Dru Smith, that’s exactly what happened. Butler drove the baseline past Eric Gordon and assisted a Smith layup that cut the Heat’s deficit to 48-38.
Miami also won the rest of the second quarter. At halftime, the Sixers led by just three points.
While the Sixers missed some high-end looks, they settled for too many jumpers against Miami’s zone defense. In the first half, the Sixers attempted 25 three-point shots and only three free throws. For a team that ranks 29th in the NBA in three-point percentage, the Sixers have had a lot of jumper-dependent stretches.
Embiid had zero free throw attempts in a game for the second time in his NBA career. The only previous instance was February 9, 2018 against the Pelicans. George was the only Sixers starter to shoot a free throw all night.
Butler, on the other hand, was determined to make mistakes and keep the Sixers on their heels. He went 9 for 9 at the foul line in the first half.
Another terrible one third quarter
While the Sixers’ bench played well during the team’s big run, head coach Nick Nurse’s personnel decisions invite scrutiny.
The most difficult decision to understand was that Guerschon Yabusele did not get playing time until late in the third quarter. It is wise to run in a yellow formation, but Yabusele – a creditable regular so far – came on as the Sixers faced a double-digit deficit in the second half. There are certainly factors that could cause Yabusele to play less than usual on Monday, including Drummond having a solid night in center, but no action for so long seemed extreme.
Besides McCain, the Sixers’ guards provided minimal offense. Kyle Lowry, Gordon and Jeff Dowtin Jr. combined to score seven points on 3-for-14 shooting. Lowry has cooled down drastically after a hot start. Since Nov. 6, he has shot 2 for 23 (8.7 percent) from three-point range.
In the third quarter the game got out of hand for the Sixers. Gordon fouled Herro on a 3-pointer late in the shot clock and Dowtin then turned the ball over, leading to a driving Herro layup at the other end.
The Sixers ultimately lost the third quarter by 19 points. Coming into the game, they had a terrible net rating of minus 15.0 in the second quarter and a net rating of minus 14.2 in the third quarter. They have struggled to sustain success, stop opponents’ runs, or do just about anything else at an adequate level during the middle portions of games.
There was no indication the Sixers would recover in the fourth quarter. The game was a lost cause and legitimate silver linings were not immediately apparent. That story has become very well known.
In Nurse’s first season with the Sixers, they did not lose their eleventh game until January 5. This year started much bleaker.
