The Philadelphia 76ers take an enormously important victory in an incredibly hard-fought and exciting duel with the Miami Heat right into the final seconds. Despite a catastrophic start, the Sixers finally win 106:102 (BOXSCORE). The Sixers thus lead 3:1 in the best-of-seven series.
In the early minutes of the game, the Heat and Sixers had a balanced exchange of blows. It wasn’t until the middle of the first quarter, after two threesomes of Dario Saric and Robert Covington, that Philly broke away for the first time (20:12). However, this tour did not last too long. Miami finished the first section with a 7:0-run and thus had balanced the game again (26:26).
The second heat was just as competitive, with slight advantages for the Heat. Since the guests from the City of Fraternal Love regularly donated the Spalding, Miami took an 8-point lead in the meantime. Then it got heated: After Covington had given Goran Dragic a little push after a foul whistle, Ben Simmons and James Johnson clashed. The two had to be separated from the other players and the coaches before the situation could escalate.
Right before this situation, Josh Richardson (left shoulder) and Justise Winslow (cut over the eye) were injured in a collision with Joel Embiid. The Heatles had to be treated in the cabin, but could return later. Also afterwards it remained a heated affair in the American Airlines Arena. The Sixers and Heat gave each other absolutely nothing, Miami went into half-time with a tight 61:56 lead.
Even after the change of sides, the Heat remained the dominant team without being able to distinguish themselves decisively. Although the Sixers’ turnover misery continued seamlessly, the guests remained within striking distance thanks to important impulses from Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova from the bank. The latter came back to 79:83 from Philly’s point of view just before the end of the quarter, after Miami had meanwhile been in front with 12 points.
All of a sudden, the momentum was on the Sixers’ side again. The guests started into the final section with an 8-0 run and took the lead. They were not to give them up until the last minutes, but Philly was not able to gain a decisive advantage. So it remained incredibly exciting until the end.
In the Heat, Dwyane Wade took control of the offense, leading his team to 99:100 with 12 points in the final quarter (25 in total). In return, Simmons silenced the Heat fans with a crackling dunk. Then it was J.J. Redick who took on the role of spoilsport and put the Sixers in front 30 seconds before the end with 104:101.
The Sixers’ sniper finally pocketed the decisive free throws of the game, in the last attack several attempts by the Heat to shorten them again failed. Philadelphia finally won a hard-fought game with 106:102.
Redick advanced to the topscorer with 24 points, but the best man on the court was definitely Simmons. With 17 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists (and 7 turnovers), the rookie made his first play-off triple double of his career. Embiid can count to 14 counters (2/11 FG) and 12 rebounds (at 8 turnovers).
On the Heat side, Wade was the best pitcher, and Goran Dragic was also convincing over long stretches of the game (20 points). Meanwhile, Hassan Whiteside returned with a nice double double (13 points, 13 rebounds, 6/9 FG) and James Johnson contributed 15 points.
Nevertheless, the Heat now have their back to the wall before Game 5 on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday in Philadelphia.
Miami Heat vs. Philadelphia 76ers 102:106 (BOXSCORE), Series 1:3
Ben Simmons. Despite a catastrophic start and a total of 7 ball losses, the Australian once again dropped his scent mark. Especially towards the end of the third quarter and in the final section he dominated the Sixers’ offense. Miami, on the other hand, found no remedy for the 21-year-old’s variable moves. He is only the fifth rookie in the history of the NBA to play a triple double in the playoffs.
Kelly Olynyk. After quite good appearances in the series so far, Olynyk did not take place in game 4 at all. The Big Man only came to 9 minutes and could not set any accents in the limited playing time. Olynyk scored 0 on 3 fouls.
For most of the game, Miami had Joel Embiid under control – and yes, that was also due to Hassan Whiteside. The much criticized center, just like his teammates, presented Embiid with a very physical gait and at the same time Whiteside was on the other side with some good actions under the basket. Nevertheless, the Cameroonian set important accents in the final quarter, especially with his 5 blocks, with which he cleared up in the zone. All in all, the Sixers’ defence went up a gear or two towards the end of the game: Miami lost 5 balls in the fourth quarter and only scored 19 points – most of them on Wade’s own.