Observations after Sixers lose to Heat in 1st game without Edgecombe originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Sixers had a slow start to their Sunday afternoon and never managed to earn a lead against the Heat.
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They fell to a wire-to-wire 127-117 defeat at Xfinity Mobile Arena, dipping to 9-7 on the season. Miami moved to 11-6 with its fourth consecutive win.
Tyrese Maxey posted 27 points and six assists. Andre Drummond scored 14 points and grabbed 23 rebounds.
Norman Powell poured in 32 points. Kel’el Ware had 20 points and 16 rebounds.
Rookie VJ Edgecombe missed his first game with left calf tightness. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse called Edgecombe’s absence “precautionary.”
The Sixers remained without Joel Embiid (right knee injury management), Kelly Oubre Jr. (left knee LCL sprain) and Adem Bona (right ankle sprain).
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Bona has returned to on-court work but will stay out Tuesday night vs. the Magic, a team official said Saturday. Embiid is still classified as “day-to-day.” Though he’s continued to experience “some soreness,” doctors say he’s progressing, per the official.
Here are observations on the Sixers’ loss Sunday:
Subpar start without Edgecombe
Quentin Grimes started for the first time this season and began the day with Maxey, Justin Edwards, Paul George and Drummond.
The Sixers’ starters struggled. Powell sunk a transition three-pointer to put Miami up 12-5 and scored eight quick points.
Fresh off of his career-high 54-point night against the Bucks, Maxey posted seven of the Sixers’ first nine. Outside of Maxey, however, the Sixers began 0 for 5 from the floor.
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The Sixers didn’t have much pace or movement offensively in the first quarter. One reason was the Heat hardly ever handed the Sixers a free opportunity to attack in the open floor. Miami scored the game’s first 13 points off turnovers. Meanwhile, Grimes tallied just two points in the first period.
Handy 2nd-unit scoring
Especially when Drummond sat, the Sixers’ lack of size emerged as a big problem early on.
Second-year center Ware had six offensive rebounds in the first quarter and Jaime Jaquez Jr. got rolling in the post. Miami scored 37 first-quarter points, 22 in the paint, and had a 10-point advantage through 12 minutes.
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The Sixers fell behind by 16 points early in the second … and then surged back with a 16-0 run.
Trendon Watford had a productive stint, including an and-one layup, and was much better overall than he’d been in Milwaukee with an 19-point, nine-rebound, seven-assist outing. Grimes made a driving layup that evened the game at 49-all.
Jared McCain also chipped in useful offense off the Sixers’ bench. He scored a season-best 15 points Sunday on 5-for-11 shooting and played a season-high 26 minutes.
The Sixers couldn’t quite grab a first lead of the afternoon. They fouled Powell twice on three-point attempts in the final minute of the second quarter and trailed by four at intermission.
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Heat fend off every run
The Sixers’ third quarter opened poorly — not an unfamiliar storyline early this season — and Grimes’ foul trouble became a major issue.
After Grimes picked up his fourth personal with 10:15 left in the third quarter, Nurse kept him in. The 25-year-old guard then fouled Powell yet again on a long-range jumper. He exited with five fouls and a little under nine minutes to play in the third. McCain subbed in.
The Sixers appeared to be in serious trouble when they went down 85-71 on a put-back Bam Adebayo dunk. Again, they answered right away and prevented the game from getting out of hand.
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McCain and Maxey each hit threes during a 10-0 run. A Drummond triple on the Sixers’ last possession of the third quarter cut the Heat’s lead to 99-93.
Grimes checked back in to begin the fourth and scored a couple of layups to trim the Sixers’ deficit to three points. Watford made a coast-to-coast lay-in to bring the Heat’s advantage down to 105-103.
Miami scored the next seven points and soon restored a double-digit lead. While the Sixers kept the game interesting, Miami never trailed and did solid work to capitalize on a strong start, fending off the Sixers’ comeback efforts.
