Sixers Get Back at Sixth in the East
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 19 Mar 2024
A combination of Philadelphia 76ers' 98-91 home win over the Miami Heat and a home defeat by the Indiana Pacers, 108-103, to the Cleveland Cavaliers puts the Sixers back to magic six in the Eastern Conference.
But more than that, the Sixers' victory proved some positive things for Philadelphia.
For one thing, it shows that the Sixers have remained competitive in the race for the six automatic playoff spots while awaiting the return of injured superstar center Joel Embiid.
For another, it shows that Tyrese Maxey could provide the team leadership, even in the absence of Tobias Harris as it was today. Maxey fell two rebounds short of a triple-double, stringing up 30 points, 10 assists, and 8 boards to lead the Sixers' win.
Significantly, it shows that even without Harris, the Sixers have dependable other starters like Kelly Oubre Jr., Kyle Lowry, and Buddy Hield, as well as center Mo Bamba, who was a revelation against Heat superstar center Bam Adebayo, to back Maxey up.
It was a game with the ace scorers of both teams, Harris for Philadelphia and Jimmy Butler for Miami out on injury. It therefore came down to which team will have the better leadership on court. The Sixers through Maxey proved to have the better on court leadership which was very evident in the first three quarters, especially in the third that determined the eventual victor.
Without his partner, Butler, Adebayo tried to shepherd the Heat but his main role is really to produce points and corral the rebounds and protect the rim. Bam scored 20 points and pulled down 15 rebounds but his playmaking yielded just 5 assists. His desire to do more things perhaps tired him and made him less effective as a scorer and defender and made him susceptible to Mamba's hustling plays. The Sixers had more blocked shots than the Heat.
The Sixers drew firepower from Oubre, Lowry and Hield with 22 points, 16 and 12 respectively. Paul Reed, Nic Batum and Mamba tended the slot well with 8, 7 and 4 boards respectively. Mamba also scored 8 points while Oubre pulled down 11 rebounds.
Terry Rozier, Haywood Highsmith and Caleb Martin supported Adebayo wifh 20, 16 and 13.
The Sixers outscored the Heat 28-16 in the third quarter after leading 51-49 at halftime to virtually decide the game.
With a record of 38-30, the Sixers pull half a game ahead of the Pacers (38-31) for the sixth place in the East. The Heat remained at 8th with 37-31.
The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.
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