Wade turns back the clock — and 76ers
PHILADELPHIA — Dwyane Wade snuffed out one Philadelphia rally by popping a 16foot fadeaway with the shot clock ticking down on Monday night.
He then made a halfhearted attempt at reaching his hand out toward a fallen defender before he scooted on his way.
Wade was up, the Sixers were down and suddenly this is a series.
The Heat had to have this one, because a brooding Joel Embiid is angling for a comeback for Philly.
Wade turned in a vintage performance, scoring 28 points to end the 76ers’ 17-game winning streak and lead the Miami Heat to a 113-103 Game 2 win that knotted their first-round playoff series at a game apiece.
“It’s just in my DNA,” Wade said. “I love the stage.”
The 36-year-old flashed the form of a three-time NBA champion with the Heat, not the journeyman who bounced around the past two seasons with forgettable stints in Chicago and Cleveland.
Wade made 11 of 17 shots, putting on a show in the second quarter before putting it away in the fourth.
“I saw moments,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “That’s what defines Dwyane Wade.”
The 76ers might soon get their defining moment from Embiid.
They sorely needed their All-Star center — out with a broken orbital bone — to settle them as they fell into a quick 16-point deficit.
The Sixers lost for the first time since March 13 to IndiThe
It’s just in my DNA. I love the stage.”
on his vintage performance in knotting the series with Philadelphia
ana. They won 16 straight to end the regular season and the first game of the playoffs, and played their 10th straight game without Embiid.
“We need Joel,” Sixers coach Brett Brown said.
After the game, Embiid wrote on Instagram: “Sick and tired of being babied.”
Now he’ll pack his mask for the trip to Miami.
“Joel is a superstar. Of course we’re missing him offensively, defensively,” Sixers forward Dario Saric said.
“He’s a guy who wants to play all the time. I can’t wait for Joel to come back and help us because we’re a better team with him.”
Even without Embiid, the Sixers trimmed the lead to two points late in the fourth.
Philly fans were going wild and suddenly the home-court edge that had made the Sixers unbeatable for a month seemed like it would perk the team back up for one more notch on the winning streak. Not so fast.
Ersan Ilyasova made a tip shot to close to 98-96, but Wade answered by stripping Saric and finished at the other end with a bucket that steadied the Heat.
The series shifts to Miami for Game 3 on Thursday.
Wade’s play resembled his glory days at times and he carried the Heat in a sensational second quarter that was the difference.
He pump-faked his way to 15 points in the quarter — impressive enough, even moreso that he outscored the potent Sixers by two points.
Wade made his first seven shots of the game and passed Larry Bird for 10th on the NBA’s career postseason scoring list.
After a Game 1 victory where they couldn’t miss, the Sixers couldn’t make a big bucket in the first half. They made a team playoff-record 18 3s in Game 1, but missed a whopping 16 of 18 3s in the first half.
Heat slowed the game down and used a collective of defenders on Ben Simmons that rattled the rookie point guard early.
The passing-and-pushing offense that got the Sixers to the No 3 seed in the East failed them for the first time since early March.
But there was life left in the fourth.
Saric was fouled by Wade and sank two from the line to make it 91-82, then followed with a 3 the next time down the court, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
Saric broke up a pass on defense that led to a Simmons dunk and suddenly 18 straight wins was within reach.
Wade contributed with baskets, assists and free throws over the final four minutes to close out the win.
“We played Game 1 like a regular-season game and tonight was a playoff game,” he said.
Simmons, who had a tripledouble in the opener, led the Sixers with 24 points.