HEAT PUMMEL 76ERS, LEAD 3-2
Shots fell again for the Miami Heat. They kept Joel Embiid and James Harden in check. Their coach got an ingame massage from DJ Khaled.
Yes, really.
It was that sort of night for the Heat, who — even without everyone getting shoulder rubs — are feeling pretty good about their playoff prospects again.
Jimmy Butler scored 23 points, Max Strus added 19 points and 10 rebounds, and the Heat moved one win away from a trip to the Eastern Conference finals by topping the visiting Philadelphia 76ers 120-85 on Tuesday.
The 35-point margin of victory matched the biggest so far in this year’s playoffs — Philadelphia beat Toronto by 35 in the series-clincher of that first-round matchup — and matched the second-largest in Heat postseason history.
“They were just more physical,” 76ers coach Doc Rivers said. “We didn’t run anything. We didn’t run our stuff very well. We played at a snail’s pace everything they did tonight was harder and better. Their stuff was better, their energy was better.”
Victor Oladipo scored 13 for Miami, which got 12 from Bam Adebayo and 10 apiece from Tyler Herro and P.J. Tucker. The top-seeded Heat now lead the East semifinal series 3-2, and improved to an NBA-best 6-0 at home in these playoffs.
Joel Embiid scored 17 points for fourth-seeded Philadelphia, which got 14 from James Harden and 12 from Tobias Harris. The 76ers were down by 15 going into the fourth quarter, then gave up 12 consecutive points to open the period.
“Tonight, we weren’t focused enough,” Embiid said.
Game 6 is in Philadelphia on Thursday, win-or-else for the 76ers, a chance to move on for the Heat.
“We’re capable of it, if we get some stops,” Butler said. “It’s a hard place to play.” So is Miami.
Tyrese Maxey made a deep 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds left in the third to pull Philadelphia within 81-66. Whatever hope remained for the 76ers in that moment was short-lived.
A jumper from Herro and then five straight points from Strus were the start of Miami’s game-sealing flurry that opened the fourth. A threepoint play from Adebayo pushed the lead to 25, at which point Embiid checked out with the outcome clearly no longer in question.
“It’s just one game,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “They know it. We know it.”
Embiid got shaken up in the first quarter when he tried to dive into some baseline seats while attempting to save a loose ball. He doubled over shortly afterward, grabbing at his back.
Later, Embiid lost the ball and went down in obvious discomfort, covering his face with both hands. Embiid remained down for several moments, before making his way back to the Philadelphia bench and getting tended to by doctors.
Suns 110, Mavericks 80: Devin Booker scored 28 points, Deandre Ayton added 20 and host Phoenix beat Dallas to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.
The Suns used a huge third quarter to turn a tight game into a comfortable win. Phoenix opened up the second half on an 11-4 run, highlighted by Booker’s two 3pointers, for a 61-50 lead.
Mavs coach Jason Kidd called for a timeout, but it did little to stop the onslaught. The Suns led 82-60 going into the fourth with Booker pouring in 12 points during the third.
While the Suns were finally finding some offensive continuity, the Mavs completely
lost theirs, scoring just four points in the first six minutes of the third. At times, the Dallas offense regressed to mostly watching Luka Doncic try and work magic, but he couldn’t do it all by himself.
The Mavs had 12 turnovers during the third quarter.
Notable
The Grizzlies say Ja Morant is doubtful for the remainder of the postseason after an MRI revealed a bone bruise in his injured right knee.