Sixers

James Harden missed a game-winning three-pointer Monday night and the Sixers fell to a 101-99 loss to the Heat at Wells Fargo Center. By Noah Levick.

The Sixers finally pulled a point ahead after an Embiid mid-range jumper and two Harden free throws. [played with the freedom and aggression that Embiid (and all the Sixers) like to see. Their zone defense didn't trouble Miami and Bam Adebayo, on a night he shot just 4 for 14 from the floor, made two jumpers over Reed. The Sixers then allowed Butler and the Heat to rip back momentum, in large part through basic lapses. They turned it over 11 times in the first half and Miami had a 14-0 advantage at intermission in points off turnovers. Perhaps the Heat got a fortunate bounce or two, but the Sixers lacked urgency and physicality against an opponent that’s not an offensive rebounding juggernaut.

After two very tight losses and ahead of a five-game road trip, the Sixers had the big picture in mind. By Noah Levick.

“We’re going to play a lot of playoff-caliber teams and everybody’s fighting to find themselves and find their rhythm heading into the playoffs. “The last three games have shown us that we can beat and play with anybody,” Maxey said. The Sixers now have a five-game road trip that will both start and finish with a back-to-back. “And again, we’re not going to overreact to a night. We’re still looking for the perfect group with that lineup. “We’ve got to get the right group with it. Niang, who had a second straight rough game, would perhaps have stayed on the bench in a similar playoff situation. In the regular season, we’ll keep a deep rotation as much as we can. It’s going to test our character, test our togetherness as a unit, as a team. Still, the Sixers conceded the game’s first nine offensive rebounds and the first 14 points off turnovers. “It’s not going to get any easier,” Harden said after missing a game-winning three-point attempt right before the final buzzer. “We’re going to play against some really good teams for the rest of the season.

The Sixers will play 12 of their last 15 games on the road against some of the best teams in the NBA.

[Boston](https://theathletic.com/nba/team/celtics/) and [Memphis](https://theathletic.com/nba/team/grizzlies/), Miami locked the Sixers up. [Tyrese Maxey](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/tyrese-maxey-ZaAqNko77dWsPkHu/) kept the Sixers afloat in the second half with a 23-point performance. Embiid was blocked by [Bam Adebayo](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/bam-adebayo-cAqXbfeLJ8pkYCjZ/). [Cody Zeller](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/cody-zeller-Fxc1oOjnwze5Q1nY/) beat the Sixers down the floor off of Tucker’s made basket, followed by a [Jimmy Butler](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/jimmy-butler-FoDQq5KwBJ26j2rd/) pick-six. The team that features Embiid and Harden is ranked 21st in clutch offense. The Heat, despite being a middling team for most of this season, loom as a dangerous potential first-round playoff matchup for the Sixers. And judging by their comments, the Sixers seem cognizant of the need for improvement. They rank 19th in the NBA in that category and team president Daryl Morey is on record saying that he believes defensive rebounding improves in the postseason. [NBA](https://theathletic.com/nba/) basketball is hard to do. We don’t usually associate “flipping the switch” with a 39-21 team, but it might have to happen here. In the final analysis, it’s tempting to point to the final shot missing by an inch and the Sixers’ sloppy late-game execution. For the second time in three nights, though, they were on the wrong end.

Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers reacts to a play during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs in San Antonio, ...

A change of scenery could do some good in a defined role coming off the bench for the Sixers, giving them the shooter and scoring they need in the Harden or Embiid rest minutes. These will go a long way as this season progresses and the team sets its sights on the playoffs. To take a step toward reaching the championship, let alone getting out of its second round of the playoffs, a tweak in his coaching philosophy will have to take place. The Sixers are a well-rounded team this year with a combination of scoring, defending, length, youth, and athleticism. Looking toward the playoffs, there are two major needs for this team to improve on if the dream of winning a title this season is to come to fruition. The team currently sits third in the East with a record of 39-21, sitting only four games out of the number one seed.

Talking about his team's last three performances since returning from the All-Star break, Embiid mentioned that in order for the Sixers to reach their goal at ...

Close doesn't count for a team like the Sixers, especially not in playoff-like situations.

Is it the coaching, or is the personnel, or is it some combination of both? The formula isn’t changing, at least not for the rest of this season. The ability to get off a quality shot on deadline is a skill. That’s five additional games that the Celtics either went from losing to not-losing or not-winning to winning in three seasons. During that same stretch, the Sixers as a team have combined to hit 12 game-tying or game-winning buckets. At some point, the team you are is the team you are going to be. The rest of the team is 1-for-10. Whatever the case, the important thing is that the question is there to be asked. They are a team that has now lost home games to the Celtics, Bucks, and Heat. The Sixers are 2-for-2 when given a chance to tie or take the lead from the foul line in the last 24 seconds. That’s doubly true if the team you are is the team you always have been. They are a team that is 7-8 against the conference’s top seven seeds, and 4-8 if you take out the dysfunctional Nets.

PHILADELPHIA–The Philadelphia 76ers made the move in the offseason to go out and PJ Tucker in free agency and sign him to a 3-year $33 million deal early in ...

He does so many intangible things and most of the things don’t show up in a box score and that’s a shame. He’s a veteran, he’s experienced, and he brings a lot to a championship team. He’s playing in the passing lane, he’s diving on the floor, he’s a hell of a leader, he’s honest, and you can count on him night in and night out to show up and do what you ask them to do. He’s a great teammate, he’s a leader, he knows where to be at the right spots. Anything that he brings to the box score is just extra at that point. His former Heat teammates had a lot to say as they gave love and respect to what Tucker brings to the table.

Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler, right, goes up for a shot against Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Feb.

There were tons of missed calls and some phantom calls for the Heat as well. Hopefully, this was a lesson for the squad to be ready for their rubber match in Miami on Wednesday. From the tip, Miami out-hustled the Sixers and was able to build a lead of 10 points and keep the Sixers at arm’s length for most of the game. The Sixers came out in tonight’s contest and were out-rebounded and out-hustled. In the final minutes of the fourth quarter, the Sixers managed to grab a one-point lead, but it was erased on the next possession by Maybe the Sixers were still feeling the effects of their hard-fought loss, but they came out with no energy, and they paid the price.

James Harden expects Tuesday's 76ers film session to unfold similarly to all the others this season. “It's really just Doc cursing us out,” the star guard ...

“We were trying to run something we run all the time and didn’t get into it,” Rivers said. “We’re going to play against some really good teams for the rest of the season. [We’ve] got to be locked in all game, from the start.” … We want to come out the winner, though.” “It’s not going to get any easier,” star guard James Harden said. “It’s not going to get any easier,” Harden said.

Here is the full injury report for Tyrese Maxey and the Philadelphia 76ers in the rematch with the Miami Heat on Wednesday.

Dewayne Dedmon is listed as out again due to left hip tightness. Oladipo closed out on Maxey’s step-back and he was on the ground grabbing at his ankle before limping to the bench. Tyrese Maxey suffered an ankle scare at the end of the third quarter when he fell on Miami’s Victor Oladipo’s foot.

James Harden missed a game-winning three-pointer Monday night and the Sixers fell to a 101-99 loss to the Heat at Wells Fargo Center.

[played with the freedom and aggression that Embiid (and all the Sixers) like to see. The Sixers pulled a point ahead after an Embiid mid-range jumper and two Harden free throws. He also got fouled on a jumper attempt by Harden and split two free throws before the Sixers' unsuccessful final possession. Tobias Harris appeared to injure his left leg on that play and went back to the locker room, but he returned a little over two minutes later. The Sixers then allowed Butler and the Heat to rip back momentum, in large part through basic lapses. Their zone defense didn't trouble Miami and Bam Adebayo, on a night he shot just 4 for 14 from the floor, made two jumpers over Reed. They turned it over 11 times in the first half and Miami had a 14-0 advantage at intermission in points off turnovers. In addition to all those extra possessions, the Heat benefited from a relatively hot three-point shooting start. Perhaps the Heat got a fortunate bounce or two, but the Sixers lacked urgency and physicality against an opponent that’s not an offensive rebounding juggernaut. [per Cleaning the Glass](https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/league/fourfactors), they were regularly quicker than the Sixers to react to misses. Harden's open game-winning attempt was just long and the Heat escaped with a 101-99 victory. Still, the team getting badly beaten to several offensive boards is a lasting memory from the Sixers' final game of 2021-22.

The 76ers host the Miami Heat on Monday night Feb. 27, the first game of the Heat series. Tune in tonight at 7 pm!

The Sixers, meanwhile, are inside the top-10 for both. Herro (right rib contusion) was listed as questionable on the Sunday evening injury report. A miraculous, three-quarter court shot from Joel Embiid then went in, but the basket was waved off as time had expired. For us, I think we're right there. The Sixers conclude a three-game homestand before embarking on a weeklong, five-game road trip. "We're right there. [Dewayne Dedmon](https://www.nba.com/sixers/news/dewayne-dedmon-bio), who played in Miami for parts of the last three seasons before being [signed](https://www.nba.com/sixers/news/76ers-sign-dewayne-dedmon) by the Sixers on Feb. "Guys are going to come out and play hard, play their style of basketball. So we just lock back in the next two days." Hornets big man Mark Williams notched an 18-point, 20-rebound double-double. Recent Heat acquisition Kevin Love (left knee hyperextension) is probable, while rookie first-round pick Nikola Jović (lower back stress reaction) and Omer Yurtseven (left ankle surgery) are out. We have them home and then away, so that's going to be tough.