Poor shooting night, rebounding woes, and other things we learned in Sixers’ 119-109 loss to the Heat
The Sixers shot 42% from the field and were outscored 16-2 to close the game in their loss to Miami. They were also outrebounded 57-42 by the Heat.
The Sixers let their game in Miami slip away late, losing the season tiebreaker to the Heat in a 119-109 loss.
Here’s what we learned:
» READ MORE: Heat use late rally to beat the Sixers in Miami, 119-109
Poor shooting night
It was a bad shooting night from virtually everyone, especially in the closing stretch of the game. After a strong return against the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday, Tyrese Maxey went 2-for-9 from three and shot just 35% from the field. Joel Embiid shot 10-for-25 from the field, and Paul George finished 7-for-18. The Sixers shot 42% from the field as a team.
The Sixers’ cold shooting led to a 16-2 Heat run late in the fourth quarter. After Embiid’s three-pointer put the Sixers up 107-103 with 3 minutes, 22 seconds to play, the Sixers scored just one more basket, missing six of their last seven shots.
The Sixers continue to struggle on the glass
Against the Hornets, the Sixers got killed on the glass for three quarters before a key fourth-quarter stint from Andre Drummond helped flip the script and secure the Sixers’ win. Drummond didn’t appear in Monday’s loss to Miami, with Adem Bona getting the first shift of reserve minutes against Miami’s Bam Adebayo.
The Sixers were outrebounded 36-24 in the first half. The Heat finished the game with a 57-42 rebounding advantage.. Adebayo is one of the NBA’s best rebounders, and he made his presence felt, securing 16.
Heavy minutes for Oubre and Grimes off the bench
The Sixers’ best minutes on Monday came with Quentin Grimes and Kelly Oubre Jr. in the lineup, both of whom came off the bench.
The Heat opened the third quarter on a 18-4 run thanks to poor shooting and defense from the Sixers’ starters. Miami dominated in the paint, scoring 60 points compared to 42 for the Sixers.
So Nurse turned back to Oubre and Grimes, whose minutes helped the Sixers pull near even in the second quarter. Oubre was the Sixers’ best rebounder, especially on the offensive glass, finishing with four offensive rebounds and 11 overall to go with his 11 points. In a game without a lot of great defense from the Sixers, Grimes was a notable standout, finishing with 11 points, five rebounds, and four assists in 32 minutes.
George sat nearly the entire fourth quarter, despite being one of the Sixers’ best defenders, while Nurse opted to keep Oubre and Grimes in the game. Justin Edwards played just 36 seconds.