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Sixers-Heat takeaways: Fatigue shows, Reggie Jackson's mentorship, and more

by Keith Pompey
Charles Fox / Staff Photographer

The 76ers are exhausted. Reggie Jackson is mentoring rookie Adem Bona, and the team could use new addition Quentin Grimes’ shooting. Those three things stood out Wednesday in the Sixers’ 108-101 loss to the Miami Heat at the Wells Fargo Center.

Charles Fox / Staff Photographer

Fatigue sets in

Charles Fox / Staff Photographer

Being undermanned finally caught up to Tyrese Maxey and Co. They missed their long-range shots and didn’t have a lot of elevation on missed layups en route to shooting 38.5% from the field. The Sixers have played three games in four nights.

“I think it’s the entirety of it,” Maxey said of the fatigue. “But it’s a part of it. A day off for me, it does wonders. You know what I’m saying? Just because of how hard I play and the minutes that I play. I just go out and try to win every single night. So tomorrow I will be fine. ... I’ll be back to normal on Friday."

Charles Fox / Staff Photographer

Veteran mentorship

Charles Fox / Staff Photographer

Following Wednesday’s loss, Jackson gave Bona pointers about getting separation in the pick-and-roll. Bona, a rookie center, was receptive to what Jackson, a point guard in his 14th season, had to say. “That was huge,” Bona said.

“Reggie does that a lot. In those situations during the game, I got stuck with setting the screen or slipping. He was talking me through that. He was like, ‘We know you play really fast. You can get out of the screen quickly. Sometimes you have to hold the screen to take an advantage,'" Bona continued.

Charles Fox / Staff Photographer

Needing Grimes

Charles Fox / Staff Photographer

The Sixers acquired Grimes in a trade from the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday. He hasn't played because the trade isn’t finalized. They could surely use his 39.8% three-point shooting. The Sixers made just 12 of 40 three-pointers vs. the Heat.

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