3 biggest 76ers takeaways from loss vs. Heat

Today at 09:55 PM

The Philadelphia 76ers’ (2-11) season continued [pause here for groans and sighs from the Philly audience] on Monday in their first matchup of the season against the Miami Heat (6-7). The Sixers lost 106-89 after getting blown out of the water in the second half.

Joel Embiid was added to the injury report for an illness and was listed as doubtful for tonight's game, though he still played while Tyrese Maxey remained out. Meanwhile, Jimmy Butler made his return to Miami’s lineup after dealing with an ankle sprain. Neither team was pleased with its start to the season and was eager to pick up a win. However, only one played like it down the homestretch.

Here are three takeaways from the 76ers’ showdown with the Heat.

Room for error is dwindling, with or without Embiid

The 76ers have to start getting into game-to-game habits that make them a competitive squad with and without the big man. The fact that Embiid suited up is great but it couldn't just stop there. He had to make an impact — and his teammates needed to be ready to pick up some slack. After halftime, that just didn't happen.

Like he was on Friday, Embiid was not physical enough to fight for the ball, go up strong to the hoop or go for a contested rebound. He was mostly ground-bound, and the Heat exposed his lack of mobility by tipping away entry passes for easy breakaway scores. Bam Adebayo nearly made him touch the ground on a pull-up from the elbow; it was clear that Embiid was not eager to stop his momentum to prevent the shot.

Despite his limitations, Embiid earned a bunch of double-teams from the Heat. He kept the ball moving, leading to good shots for his teammates even if he wasn't the direct passer to the shooter. His best pass of the evening — an accurate, over-the-head pass to Jared McCain — went unrewarded but the Sixers’ offense got easy shots time after time with the big fella on the floor.

If the Sixers hit their threes in the second quarter, the Sixers would have opened up a gigantic lead. That, of course, did not happen. And once the Heat tested Embiid more — and he was even more fatigued — Philly had no answer.

Caleb Martin was getting revenge on his former team through good defense and timely buckets inside the arc. But his inefficient three-point shooting and his hesitancy to shoot in other situations held his current team back. Paul George struggled from deep — as did basically everyone besides McCain. Nonetheless, bad shooting luck was far from the lone culprit in this game.

Embiid played some solid defense in the fourth quarter but otherwise had an unremarkable game. Any game he plays is progress but for this one to end in defeat was disappointing, especially as he, too, faded down the stretch. The level the Sixers have to win at when Embiid is healthy only becomes higher and seemingly more out of reach.

The rookie stays hot

McCain has saved Sixers fans from tuning the team out entirely. He has continued to ball out, scoring at least 23 points on no worse than 43 percent shooting from the field in each of his last four games. In this one, he had only 20 points, though he shot 8-16 from the field.

McCain notched two turnovers before scoring a basket. He then turned around and scored eight points in a handful of minutes. Pelle Larsson, the 44th overall pick of the 2024 draft, guarded McCain and went at him on offense. McCain repaid the favor by working him down to the paint for a slick bucket. The Sixers’ rookie connected on five of his first six shots and the Heat’s defense adjusted accordingly, even if that meant leaving a former MVP wide open.

It’s becoming truly unbelievable how good and consistent McCain has been for a stretch of games that has nearly been half the season to this point. His stellar play has continued with or without Embiid, a sign of competence that has somehow been rare from a bevy of role players, even veterans, throughout the years. Keep in mind that he doesn't turn 21 years old until February.

If he keeps this up, it may not be crazy to consider him in All-Star considerations.

Another lead bites the dust

The 76ers were gifted a bad performance from their opponent to start this one. They didn't take big enough advantage of it and paid the price.

To end the first quarter and go into the second quarter, the Heat were playing sloppy, committing four turnovers in less than three minutes of game time, allowing the Sixers to score with ease. They were at home but also on the second night of a back-to-back, showing their fatigue and allowing Philly to go up by as much as 19 points. Even though the Heat narrowed the deficit, Philly was playing well. It just wasn't making its shots, scoring six points in the final six minutes of the half.

Andre Drummond got to be the backup center over Guerschon Yabusele and played pretty decently. He just did what he needed to do down low, even blocking a layup attempt from Butler. Philly led by double digits for most of the second quarter. At halftime, the Heat remembered that they're a menacing defensive squad and put the clamps on the Sixers coming out of the break.

A dud from Duncan Robinson on a dunk attempt gave the Sixers a moment of relief as the Heat stormed out to a lead with the help of a 14-4 run. Miami took its biggest lead of the game later in the period as Philly went to a McCain-and-bench lineup with Jeff Dowtin Jr., Eric Gordon, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Drummond. Yabusele got his first minutes of the game

George got off to a much better start in this game, matching his field-goal total from the last game in a handful of minutes. But he couldn't get many looks to start the second half, watching as Tyler Herro and his 16-point showing in the third flipped the script of the game. That's how many points Philly had as a team in the third quarter.

A 19-point lead doesn't mean as much as it used to, especially in an NBA where shooting variance can swing games in an instant. But as has been the case for Philly this season, it’s not just that they lost it, it's how. Letting their foot slip off the gas and getting smoked in the third quarter was excruciating to watch. They still have not won a game with Embiid this season.

Other takeaways:

• The 76ers coming out of a timeout and having to call another timeout to avoid a five-second violation was not the finest coaching moment you’ll see.
• Despite having a sick, getting-his-legs-back Embiid, Nick Nurse ran a short rotation for most of the game. He also deployed some head-scratching lineups and once again seemed not to prepare his team for halftime adjustments. This season continues to be a brutal campaign for him.
• At least the Sixers picked the steal of the drafted right after the Heat’s pick again?

The Sixers’ road trip concludes on Wednesday with a matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies.

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