Big 3, minus Embiid, must carry offensive load in Game 2
The 76ers headed to Miami wanting to win one of the two games at the start of the teams’ Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series without star center Joel Embiid.
While they gave themselves a chance in Game 1 after another slow start Monday night, the Sixers ended up dropping a 106-92 decision to the deeper, top-seeded Heat, who pulled away in the fourth quarter.
Game 2 is set for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at FTX Arena before the best-of-seven series shifts to Philadelphia for Games 3 (7 p.m. Friday) and 4 (8 p.m. Sunday). The earliest Embiid could conceivably play if everything falls into place would be Game 3.
While Embiid will remain in Philadelphia for Game 2 due to an orbital fracture and mild concussion, coach Doc Rivers will again rely heavily on the de facto Big 3 of Tobias Harris, James Harden and Tyrese Maxey to carry the offensive load. They had far more 1-on-1 chances than usual and flourished at times for the Sixers, who led 51-50 at halftime before the Heat gained control.
Harris certainly did his part, tallying a game-high 27 points on 11-for-18 shooting. “He was great,” Rivers said. “He was exhausted.”
Harris excelled by “attacking some of the smaller guards they had on me, being aggressive in spots and getting downhill,” as he explained.
Harden, a former league
MVP and three-time scoring champ, contributed 16 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 turnovers. Harden was more aggressive looking for his own scoring opportunities in the first half (5 for 9 shooting, 12 points) than after intermission (1 of 4, 4 points) and only attempted 13 field goals and four foul shots after averaging the third-most free throws in the league during the regular season. Four shot attempts by Harden in the second half isn’t enough with Embiid, let alone without him.
“I think I can be a little more aggressive,” Harden said. “They did a good job crowding (me in the second half ).”
“It’s not about James,” Rivers said. “It’s about all of them. We’re a team. We just have to score more. James can score more. We got to get him in better spots. Tobias, Tyrese — all of them (need to too).”
Maxey added 19 points but was 1 for 6 on 3-pointers for a team that finished 6 of 34 (. 176) behind the arc.
Rivers had some unenviable decisions to make that he’ll be faced with for at least one more game.
“These are those games you have to really be free enough and fearless enough to try a lot of different things that you probably wouldn’t try (hoping) you might fall on something,” Rivers said.
Rivers called upon Harris to guard Jimmy Butler (5-for-16 shooting) for much of the night and Harris did a solid job. He started veteran DeAndre Jordan at center and also used Paul Millsap there, though Paul Reed, who picked up five fouls in 13 minutes, was the most productive in that spot with four points, nine rebounds (five offensive) and four assists. Rookie Charles Bassey played the final four minutes in the pivot once the outcome had been decided.
Rivers said his players advocated for Jordan, who was a minus-22 with two rebounds and two blocked shots in 17 minutes, to start the second half: “We like DJ. We’re going to keep starting him, whether you like it or not.”
Rivers also went small for relatively short stretches with Harris or Georges Niang as the big man and was encouraged by what he saw there. He should explore that further Wednesday, particularly with Harris as the center.
Rivers helped the Sixers get back into it after falling behind 25-11 in part by switching between a 2-3 zone and active man-to-man defense. It all fell apart in the second half, though.
The Heat, minus veteran guard Kyle Lowry (hamstring injury), rode its Big 3 of
Bam Adebayo (24 points, 12 rebounds), sixth man Tyler Herro (25 points) and Butler (15 points, 9 rebounds).
Offensive rebounding, much like in the first-round series against the Raptors, hurt the Sixers: Philly had nine, four of which came in the fourth quarter, to the Heat’s 15. The Sixers’ 14 turnovers didn’t help, either.
Since the franchise moved from Syracuse to Philadelphia in 1963-64, the Sixers possess a 1-12 record in second-round playoff series without homecourt advantage. The only victory occurred in 1981-82 over Marques Johnson and the Bucks.
A win Wednesday without Embiid would potentially put the Sixers in position to change that narrative and increase the chances of reaching the conference finals for the first time since 2001. Maxey, for one, can see it happening.
“It’s doable,” Maxey said. “It’s not totally out of reach.”
He should’ve added it’s contingent upon the Sixers taking better care of the ball, rebounding better and Harden providing more scoring, along with Rivers finding the right combinations out on the floor.