Sixers, Mavs head home seeking to rebound vs. Heat, Suns
Philadelphia and Dallas head home trying to stay in conference semifinal series against the top seeds, the 76ers unclear when Joel Embiid might play against Miami and the Mavericks waiting for someone to help Luka Doncic against Phoenix.
Coach Doc Rivers didn’t sound optimistic about Embiid’s availability for Game 3 on Friday night in Philadelphia after the Sixers fell behind the Heat 2-0 in without the MVP finalist, out with an orbital fracture.
Dallas coach Jason Kidd repeated himself following a second loss to Chris Paul, Devin Booker and the Suns — the 11th consecutive defeat for the Mavericks, regular season included, against the team with the NBA’S best record.
Game 3 of the Western Conference series is Friday night in Dallas.
“He had a great game, but no one else showed,” Kidd said after a 129-109 loss in Game 2, sounding about the same as he did two nights earlier following a seriesopening 121-114 loss in Phoenix. “We can’t win with just him out there scoring 30 a night.”
James Harden and Tyrese Maxey obviously are missing Embiid. The Philly guards couldn’t find a way to get a split at Miami, the top seed in the East, without
the five-time All-star.
The Sixers weren’t closer than eight points in the fourth quarter of the first two games, and Maxey sees the first quarter as the key to changing that.
“When we go home with the crowd on our side, we’ve got to hit first,” Maxey said after the 119-103 loss in Game 2. “Coach Doc said something in the locker room before the game about, ‘Let’s not be a counterpunching team tonight.’ I think that really hit home. We’ve got to go after them first and put them on their heels.”
Philadelphia is battling history, too.
Miami has taken a 2-0 lead in 18 previous series, including the first round this season against Atlanta, and won the matchup every time. The 76ers have dropped the first two games 19 previous times, never recovering to win the series.
Bam Adebayo led the Heat with 23 points in Game 2. The Miami center tops the list of players impacted by the possible return of the 7-foot Embiid.
“It changes dramatically. You’re talking about MVP talent,” Heat coach Eric Spoelstra said. “We knew that this series was going to shift and it was going to change pretty dramatically. It’s better for it to change dramatically when we’re able to get a couple of wins.”
The Mavericks were close in the fourth quarter of Game 2 before Paul sparked a 23-2 run with the Suns leading by six. He had 14 of his 28 points in the fourth. Booker had consecutive 3-pointers during the run and scored 30.
“We have guys that definitely can guard these guys,” said Dallas guard Reggie Bullock, one of the defensefirst players assigned that task. “But it’s going to take a team effort to be able to contain them.”
Jalen Brunson averaged 27.8 points in the firstround win over Utah, when Doncic missed the first three games with a left calf strain. Brunson is averaging 11 points on 32% shooting against the Suns and has almost as many fouls (eight) as baskets (nine).
Doncic, who scored 45 and 35 points in the first two games, looked tired with the Suns repeatedly attacking him on screens, particularly in the fourth quarter when they shot 84%.
“He should be tired,” Kidd said. “He played his heart out. He’s tired every night. He plays hard. We’ve got to get other guys involved to help him. Right now it’s just been him.”