Lowry upgraded to questionable for Game 3; Embiid listed as out
Heat guard Kyle Lowry — who has missed four consecutive games with a hamstring injury — accompanied the team to Philadelphia on Thursday and has been upgraded to questionable for Friday’s Game 3 of the Heat-76ers playoff series.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers insisted Thursday afternoon that he does not know whether center Joel Embiid, who has missed the first two games of the Heat-76ers playoff series with a right orbital fracture and mild concussion, will play on Friday, adding that clarity might not come until Friday morning.
The Sixers, later in the day, listed him as out for Game 3, but ESPN’s
Adrian Wojnarowski said “there’s progress that could be made to change his availability vs. Heat on Friday.”
Heat players listed as questionable generally have played in the postseason. Besides Lowry, the Heat listed five others as questionable: Tyler Herro (ankle sprain),
Caleb Martin (ankle sprain), Max Strus (hamstring strain), P.J. Tucker (calf sprain) and Gabe Vincent (knee irritation). The Heat has won four in a row without Lowry.
The Heat leads the series, 2-0, with Game 3 set for 7 p.m. Friday on ESPN and Game 4 at 8 p.m. Sunday on TNT.
When pressed Thursday by a Philadelphia reporter claiming that Rivers must know if Embiid is playing against the Heat tomorrow, Rivers insisted he does not know, adding there won’t be clarity until “later today and in the morning. [He] still has hurdles to get over” with his orbital fracture and concussion.
How could Embiid play without practicing? “A lot of guys do it,” Rivers said.
“Devin Booker did it [for Phoenix after returning from a hamstring injury] and played pretty well.”
Erik Spoelstra said the Heat has been planning as if Embiid will play.
“You have to plan for it,” Spoelstra said. “Whether he does or not, it would be irresponsible not to.”
And if he plays, “it changes [the game] dramatically,” Spoelstra said. “You’re talking about an MVP talent. So we’ll just
have to see.”
Embiid led the league in scoring at 30.6 points per game this season, to go along with 11.7 rebounds.
“I do expect him to play,” Bam Adebayo said Wednesday night.
Heat forward Jimmy Butler said of Embiid: “That’s my guy and I want to compete against him. I want him to get right because we want to play against who I call the MVP. They’re a completely different team whenever he’s out there both offensively and defensively. So we’re looking forward to that.”
The biggest change with Embiid playing, Butler said, is “how much attention he’s going to draw from everybody, whether he’s on the perimeter, at the elbow, on the block. And then what he does defensively for those guys is pretty incredible, too.”
James Harden expressed confidence that the 76ers will get the series to at least a Game 5 — with or without Embiid.
“We’re a confident group,” Harden said in an FTX Arena interview room late Wednesday night. “We didn’t get one of these first two. We’ll go home and take care of business and we’ll be back here for Game 5.”
Among the reasons for Philadelphia’s confidence: guard Tyrese Maxey’s
ability to consistently get past Heat defenders. He scored 34 in Game 2, including 23 in the second half.
“They don’t have anybody that can really slide with him,” Philadelphia forward Tobias Harris
said.
Harden said Maxey is set up for success because “they’re denying me;
they’re drawing their attention on me. He sees the gaps and he is really quick.”
The 76ers also believe their threes eventually will start falling. They’re 14 for 64 on threes (21.9 percent) in the two games, compared with 23 of 65 (35.4 percent) for the Heat.
“We got great shots,” Rivers said. “We didn’t make shots. I believe in the guys we play that they will make them over the long haul. We got a ton of open shots, a ton of open threes. They made theirs, we missed ours.
“I feel great. I would rather not be down 0-2. You watch that film, we played hard. Guys competed. Anybody has a problem with that, there’s something wrong with them .... Not a person in that locker room doesn’t feel we can win this series. I feel good about Game
3.”
Harden has just eight points combined, on 2 for 9 shooting, in the second half of the first two games. Overall, he took 15 shots in Game 2 — making six of them — and hasn’t even attempted 20 shots in any of his 29 games in a 76ers uniform.
Rivers suggested Philadelphia is limited offensively, without Embiid, in the type of lineups it can play around him.
“They’re throwing double teams with him really quickly,” Rivers said. “We need Matisse [Thybulle] on the floor and he did an excellent job overall on Tyler Herro, but now you got Matisse and DeAndre Jordan, or Matisse and Paul Reed on the floor, and they’re really just playing a two-man zone off these two guys. Damn
if you do, damn if you don’t.”
WADE’S RETURN
Among those in attendance for Wednesday’s Game 2 at FTX Arena was former Heat star Dwyane Wade and his wife Gabrielle Union. Wade is now a part-owner of the Utah Jazz, which was eliminated by the Dallas Mavericks in the first round.
Spoelstra said he did not know that Wade would be at the game.
“He’s living the life,” Spoelstra said. “The front row of Utah games and the front row here. I was actually surprised. That’s what I told him out there. It’s an incredible opportunity [for Wade in Utah]. It just looks weird when he’s sitting front row at a Utah game and next to [Jazz executive] Danny Ainge.
“But it was great to have him and Gabby here in the building. I hope they’re here for a while and maybe [Chris Bosh] can come out to a game, as well.”
Victor Oladipo, who has been close with Wade over the years, said: “It’s just a blessing for him to be here. I had no idea he was coming. Him and Gabby have been really supportive of me throughout my career and to be able to see both of them sitting there and cheer us on was pretty cool. I’m truly thankful for them as just human beings in general.”
The Heat is 16-0 alltime when leading a bestof-7 series 2-0. That, per ESPN, is the most games any franchise has ever won in a best-of-seven series, without a loss, in NBA history.
The 76ers are 0-13 alltime when trailing a bestof-7 series 2-0.