Sixers collapse in fourth quarter, fall to Heat 119-109

The Sixers suffered a fourth-quarter collapse, falling 109-119 to the Heat and giving Miami the tiebreaker over Philadelphia. Joel Embiid led the Sixers, scoring 26 points while Tyrese Maxey added 23 points, seven rebounds and nine assists.

Here’s what stood out.

Falling flat in a frustrating, physical matchup

The Heat played the majority of this game with the intensity of a playoff matchup. Through the first quarter, Paul George did well to match their intensity, but overall, the Sixers felt a bit flat. Maxey was oddly hesitant, going without a single shot attempt in the first five minutes of the game and finished the quarter with only three attempts. Embiid, meanwhile, seemed a bit worn out at times, potentially feeling the effects of his recent return after two great performances.

Instead of matching Miami’s intensity and rising to the moment, the Sixers allowed frustration to settle in, whether it was the physicality of their opponents or the uneven officiating; Philadelphia lost focus, allowing outside influences to get under their skin throughout the night, arguably costing them the game.

If it ain’t broke, fix it?

Miami attacked Philadelphia with a zone defense in an attempt to take advantage of the Sixers’ lack of shooting. To counter, Embiid set up shop at the top of the free-throw line for much of the first half, forcing Miami’s defense to collapse on him, freeing shooters on the outside for either an open shot or a lane to drive.

Surely, the Sixers continued this successful game plan in the second half, right?

Well, not exactly. Instead, Embiid was relegated to the outside, substituting VJ Edgecombe in his place. Suddenly, the Sixers no longer had the same level of gravity creator or passer operating as the offensive hub, and the Sixers soon found their offense stagnant, rotating the ball back and forth without any clear direction.

It was an odd choice in an overall disappointing night by Nick Nurse, who on multiple occasions made adjustments two or three minutes too late.

Other takeaways

• It’s not often VJ Edgecombe looks flustered, but that was certainly the case in this game, particularly in the third quarter. Picking up three fouls and a technical foul — just his third of the season — in the third, Edgecombe’s emotions got the best of him, but his vets and coach hold some responsibility for not stepping in sooner.
• Quentin Grimes played some inspired defense in this game and stuffed the statsheet in support of his Sixers. Unfortunately, it was the rest of the team that failed to have his back. This game was the perfect example of the player the Sixers hope they’ve found in Grimes; one who can not only keep the team afloat with one or more starters on the bench, but also contribute to their victory.
• Kelly Oubre made a positive impact from the bench in this game, finishing with a double-double, including 11 points and 11 rebounds — funnily enough, he’s been benched in favor of Barlow for a potential rebounding advantage, and has outrebounded Barlow 16-to-6 since returning from injury. At times, he succumbed to “Kelly-ball,” but that will happen in games like this where the offense lacks direction.

Up next for the Sixers

The Sixers will next head to the nation’s capital for a road matchup against the Washington Wizards. After a couple of hard-fought games, Philadelphia will have to avoid taking its opponent lightly because of their record. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. EST on Wednesday, April 1.

Unless otherwise stated, all stats included in this article are via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass, Basketball Reference or Team Rankings. All salary information via Spotrac.