Feb 5, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) drives against Philadelphia 76ers guard Kelly Oubre Jr (9) in the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
The Sixers had no answers for the Miami Heat on the glass, losing on the second night of a back-to-back in Paul George's return.
Here's what I saw.
- I love that Guerschon Yabusele is shaking trees in the paint by using up-fakes and gather steps. I appreciate fundamentals and players who slow the game down by not rushing. Smaller players don't create space at the rim by faking bigger players out of their shoes often enough. They rush and smoke easy buckets at the hoop. But, Yabusele has learned to read when there's a big nearby and respond with an up-fake to throw him off before jumping off two feet for a finish.
- Nick Nurse deployed a lineup of Tyrese Maxey, Kyle Lowry, Reggie Jackson, Eric Gordon and Yabusele late in the first quarter. Daryl Morey should institute a rule that there must be one player younger than 23 on the court at all times for the games that Joel Embiid misses. Those minutes went about as you'd expect for a lineup as small and old as that one.
- A Sixers defense that had improved by leaps and bounds in recent weeks being quite underwhelming for the second night in a row was the central theme of the first half. Both teams were playing on the second night of a back-to-back, so the Sixers don't get that pardon for their will to win possessions on defense. Miami simply wanted it more, fighting with more physicality to beat Philadelphia to the offensive glass in the second quarter. There were multiple possessions in which the Sixers got multiple stops and still gave up baskets because they couldn't punctuate on the glass. The Heat are resilient and gritty, even if they no longer have Jimmy Butler. They have swells of talent up and down the roster, but they outwork you before anything else. It felt like the Sixers were a big body short (not even intended as a passive Embiid comment!) in the second quarter.
Open corner threes bled from that, but they also existed as their own issue. The Sixers kept pinching on the driving lanes or over-stepping in help on the weak side of the floor, leaving the corners vacant enough for Miami to make skip passes or swing the ball there for good looks.
Maybe Nurse has another speech in him to get this group straightened out.
- The hot shooting for Miami continued well into the second half. I thought Philadelphia dialed up the intensity and ball pressure a bit, but the Heat responded by spacing out more and pushing the limits of their own three-point range. And when they're hitting them from circus angles or several steps beyond the arc, you have to walk the line between blaming defense and accepting some bad shooting luck.
- Having said that, there were definitely possessions in which the Sixers left the middle of the floor a little too open. They got burned by floaters from the likes of Terry Rozier and Tyler Herro.
- Not a pretty return for George. He knocked a couple shots down, but never really found his rhythm. His handle with his left hand was not particularly strong. And by the second half, he was pretty removed from the offense, mostly serving as a spacer in the corner.
- The Sixers won the possession battle by 18 and still lost. That seems impossible.
- The Heat uncorked a five-team Jimmy Butler trade in the middle of the game. We're one more insane collective bargaining agreement away from the royal 30-team trade. Let me dream, baby.
The Sixers (20-30) will visit the Detroit Pistons (25-26) on Friday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., Eastern time. You can catch the game on ESPN.
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