Miami – Tyler Hero had spent the last few days dealing with an upper respiratory problem that disrupted his routine. So he arrived at the Miami arena early Monday morning, 10 hours before the start of the match, to make a few punches and regain his rhythm.
Work.
And the heat hit first against the laid-back Philadelphia 76ers.
Hero scored 25 points – the second-highest ever in a playoff game – while Bam Adebayo finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds, and top-ranked Heath escaped in the second half to beat fourth-placed 76ers 106-92 in a match. 1 of their semifinal match of the Eastern Conference.
Herro was 4 for 6 out of a range of 3 points; everyone else in the game shot a combined 11 for 64 from deep.
“He’s a worker,” said Heat coach Eric Spoelstra. “He is ruthless.”
The 76ers were without Joel Embiid, an MVP finalist who is not even in Miami while recovering from an orbit fracture and concussion – injuries sustained in Philadelphia’s first-round victory in Toronto. He is not expected to play in Game 2.
And as expected, he was missed. Except for Adebayo, who missed almost nothing. He was 8 for 10 from the floor, 8 for 8 from the line.
“I feel like I’m just doing plays,” Adebayo said.
Jimmy Butler added 15 points for top-ranked Heath, who received 10 from Gabe Vincent and PJ Tucker.
Tobias Harris scored 27 points for Philadelphia, which received 19 from Tyrese Maxi and 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists from James Harden.
The second game is on Wednesday in Miami.
“I didn’t like the way we moved the ball,” said 76ers coach Doc Rivers. “I thought we passed late tonight. I thought our fitness affected us tonight and that affected us. There were too many times, we were going to take the extra dribble and by the time we got there, they got there.”
Miami came out as aggressive as possible by placing Tucker on Harden and keeping him guarding all 94 feet on the floor in a similar approach to the one Heat used against Atlanta’s Trey Young in the first round series.
“I’m doing my job,” Tucker said.
It worked – for a while. Miami led by 12 in the first quarter, then a series of 10-2, fueled by eight points from Herro, gave the Heat a 13-point lead at 37-24 to mark their biggest half. The margin was still 46-36 in the middle of the second after another basket by Herro.
The rest of the half was all of Philly. And that was the 76ers’ excerpt from the evening.
“It simply came to our notice then. That’s doable, “Maxi said.” It’s not completely out of range. “
Miami made 1 for 9 of the field in the last 6 minutes of the half, with four frictions there, and Philadelphia made a 15-4 sprint. Harden’s shot in the lane with 28 seconds left led the 76ers to 51-50, their first lead of the evening and the result they took in the locker room.
76ers scored the first four points of the second half, increasing by five. That was as good as it was for the 76ers.
“I liked how we fought,” Rivers said. “I liked how we came out at the beginning of the third quarter … and then I didn’t like the rest of the game from that moment on.”
Adebayo took a pass from Tucker to score, which led Miami to 62-61 and this would be the last change of lead for the evening. It was the start of the 10-0 series that created the cushion, then the 13-2 series at the beginning of the fourth solved the issue and pushed the Heat’s edge to 98-77.
“These are the playoffs,” Adebayo said. “First to four.”
TYPE-INS
76ers: Philadelphia fell to 6-9 without Embiid this season. … DeAndre Jordan started in place of Embiid and scored four points and two rebounds in 17 minutes. … Georges Niang was 0 for 7, all those 3-point shots.
Heat: Kyle Lowry (knee tendon) missed his third game in a row. … Dewen Deadman Reserve Center scored three fouls within 23 seconds of the first quarter. He then had two more in the 1:46 range of the third, giving him five fouls in 4:14 playing time.
FOR
The teams combined to shoot 15 for 70 in the first half from a range of 3 points – 6 for 34 of the 76ers, slightly better 9 for 36 of the Heat. Philadelphia’s 17.6 percent rate beyond the rainbow was the second worst rate of the season. The 76ers’ only worse game was a 17.1% game, also in Miami.
ROBINSON SIT DOWN
Guards Duncan Robinson, who led Miami in matches played for the third consecutive regular season, did not appear in Game 1. This is the first time since April 2019 that he dressed but did not play, ending a series of 256 games. , including the playoffs. He missed three games this season while on the Miami inactive list.
NEXT
The second game is on Wednesday in Miami.
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