Miami scores 24 points for Butler, and easily defeats the 76ers to make a statement in the playoffs
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jimmy Butler Tyler Herro each scored 24 points the Miami Heat kept alive their hopes of avoiding the NBA’s play-in tournament with a 129-101 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night.
Max Strus and Bam Adebayo Both teams added 14 more points. Miami led 41-31 at the end of the first quarter. Miami also recorded 39 assists to tie the franchise record for most assists in a single game. This was a match against Philadelphia on February 15, 1997.
“More than anything, it’s great to come out and get a victory,” said Butler, who had five assists and four rebounds on 9-of-12 shooting. “It’s hard to beat us when we come out and make shots.”
To move up to the No. 1 spot, The Heat (43-37) would need to win their remaining two games (at Washington and at home against Orlando), and Brooklyn must lose both its home games this weekend (to Orlando or Philadelphia). 6 and will not be playing in the round. Miami won the Southeast Division title.
“It sets us up for the playoffs and builds momentum,” said Herro, who was 7-of-17 from the floor and 5-of-8 from beyond the 3-point line. “I feel like we’re trending in the right direction on both ends of the floor and going in the right direction heading into the playoffs.
Philadelphia (52-27) already holds the third position in the Eastern Conference playoffs. A win Thursday night would have secured a matchup against Brooklyn in round one. Joel Embiid Despite not participating in the fourth period, 21 points were scored. James Harden In a short time, I chipped in 14
“We didn’t come to play tonight,” 76ers coach Doc Rivers said. “We had no energy. It was a difficult game to have energy – it was an exercise tonight.”
Thanks to an inside-out game, the Heat shot 46.1% beyond the 3-point line. The Sixers had to scramble to retreat after their collapse into the paint. Miami was one of the weaker 3-point shooting NBA teams, at 34.1% as of Thursday night. This was the fourth-worst percentage.
“Our game is built on being an attack team offensive and getting into the paint,” Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra said. “But our 3-point shooting has been good for the last 16 or 17 games. I know that’s not a season long sample size, but that’s more of the vision of what we were expecting. We’re taking the right shots and being aggressive. We had the right mix of 3-point shooting, free-throw shooting, and points at rim. That’s when we are at our best.”
With Embiid’s 21 points Thursday, his 33.1 point per game average is still ahead of Denver’s Nikola Jokic, who sits second at 32.7 points a game. Jokic was not available for Thursday’s game against Phoenix.
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Butler scores 24, Miami makes playoff statement with easy win vs. 76ers Original version: NBCSports.com