The 76ers put up quite the fight against Miami at home but couldn't hold on in the final two minutes, committing two lethal mistakes. The Heat came into this match up on an incredible 19 game win streak. Although not nearly impressive, the Sixers were coming off a nice win against Brooklyn on Monday. The second half of the season for these teams have been polar opposite; Miami has been unstoppable, while Philadelphia has been falling to the bottom in their division and conference. But much like their game last Friday, the Sixers would give Miami everything they had.
The Sixers came out energized against the reigning champs and got on the board first. The lead would change sides a few times in the opening quarter but the Sixers would lead the Heat 22-21 after the first. Miami took control for most of the second which was highlighted with a reverse slam by LeBron. The Heat ended the quarter on an impressive 23-6 run, going into the break with a 51-39. LeBron James scored 18 in the first half to lead Miami as Holiday, Turner, and Thaddeus Young each had 8 points for Philly.
The Sixers fought back coming out of halftime and cut the deficit to 4 after five minutes. Thad Young played fantastic in the third as he added 16 points in the quarter and showed great hustle on the offensive glass to keep the 76ers in the game. After trailing by a dozen at the half, the Sixers would go into the fourth only down by 5. With 5 minutes remaining in the game, the Sixers took a 83-82 lead off a Jrue Holiday 3 as part of a 12-0 run. The crowd erupted as the Sixers took their first lead since the 2nd quarter and the team fed off their energy. The Heat retook the lead off a 3 from Ray Allen. Philadelphia wouldn't back down yet and on the following possession Jrue Holiday broke down the double team and dribbled through what seemed like the entire Miami defense to finish with the dunk and tie it back up with 2 minutes remaining. After that all star quality possession, Jrue would inexplicably dribble the ball off his foot in a very costly turnover on the next possession when only down by 1. After 2 misses and a fight for the rebound under the basket, Wade would score on a put back to increase Miami's lead to 3 with only 29 seconds left. In a play that may have sealed the loss, Spencer Hawes blew an easy lefty layup after a nice entry pass by Turner. The Heat increased their lead off free throws, and even though Wright was able to hit a corner 3 out of the timeout, it was too late for Philadelphia. James iced the game with 2 free throws, and Miami won a close one, 98-94.
This game had a very exciting finish as the Sixers gave the Heat a run for their money. This was an even better performance than last week's game against them in which Philly kept it close until the fourth. Although there are no moral victories, there are a lot of positives to take from this for this young team. Except for the turnover, Jrue showed he could play with the best of them and score when his team needs him in the fourth. Holiday finished with 21 points, 7 assists, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals. Thaddeus Young's hard work resulted in a team-high 24 points and 15 rebounds. Even though it was tightly contested until the last minute, this game demonstrates the difference between an inexperienced team and a championship quality team as the Heat didn't make mistakes in crunch time. James had 27 for Miami and Wade added 21. The Sixers fall to 24-40, and face a tough Pacers squad on Saturday.
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