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Joel Embiid dropped 18 points and a game-high 11 rebounds in a triumphant return from injury as the host Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Miami Heat, 99-79, in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Friday night, May 6 (Saturday, May 7, Manila time).
Embiid returned after missing two straight games due to a concussion and a facial fracture. The Sixers are 6-10 without Embiid across the regular season and playoffs and 50-25 with him.
Tyrese Maxey had all 21 of his points in the second half for the Sixers, and Danny Green, who entered the game in a shooting slump, made 7-of-9 three-pointers to finish with 21 points. He had gone just 2-for-14 from distance in the first two games of the series.
Miami still leads the best-of-seven series, 2-1. Game 4 is set for Sunday night in Philadelphia.
Jimmy Butler led the Heat with a game-high 33 points and 9 rebounds.
The Sixers also got 17 points from James Harden, including 15 in the first half. Tobias Harris had a near triple-double with 9 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists.
Heat point guard Kyle Lowry, who returned after missing four straight games due to a hamstring injury, had no points and 3 assists in 25 minutes. Besides Butler, Miami’s only other double-figure scorer was Tyler Herro (14 points).
In the first period, both teams shot below 36% from the floor, and Philadelphia led 21-17.
Philadelphia started the second quarter with a 9-0 run and took a 41-34 lead into halftime. Both teams shot less than 35% from the floor in the first half, but the Sixers made 5-of-14 on three-pointers (35.7%). Miami made just 2-of-16 from distance (12.5%).
The Sixers started the third quarter on a 7-0 run, but Miami went on to pull together a 13-0 stretch and ultimately tie the score at 57. Maxey then hit a three-pointer, got a steal, and converted a layup before the Sixers ended the third on top, 68-65.
The Sixers never lost their lead in the fourth quarter, prevailing despite turning the ball over 19 times in the game – seven more than Miami.
For the game, Philadelphia shot 47.8% from the floor, including 16-of-33 three-pointers (48.5%). Miami shot just 35.1%, including 7-of-30 three-pointers (23.3%).
The Sixers were plus-nine on rebounds and plus-13 on fastbreak points. – Rappler.com
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