Sixers, Mavs seek rebound vs. Heat, Suns
Philadelphia and Dallas head home trying to stay in conference semifinal series against the top seeds — the 76ers forced again to play without Joel Embiid against Miami, and the Mavericks waiting for someone to help Luka Doncic against Phoenix.
The Sixers ruled out Embiid on Thursday for Game 3 on Friday night in Philadelphia with the orbital fracture sustained in the first-round clincher against Toronto. The Heat won the first two games with the MVP finalist sidelined.
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.
“[Doncic] 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 series-opening 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, who is also dealing with a thumb injury. 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 defense-first 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 first-round win over Utah, when Doncic missed the first three games with a left calf strain. Brunson is averaging 11 points on 32 percent 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 percent.
“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.”