The Miami Heat made it four wins in a row with their 112-102 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday at Wells Fargo Center.
Miami opened the night with a ferocious 40-point quarter and it seemed like this would be an easy win from the start. The Heat held an 11-point advantage after that first quarter and led by even more at times. The 76ers mounted a comeback attempt, and had the deficit within single digits before Miami was able to put it away in the final minutes.
The Heat are now ten games over .500 for the first time this season with their 36-26 record. Miami has been playing at the top of its game despite being without Chris Bosh for the entire second half. Bosh remains out indefinitely with sparse details provided by the team on his status.
Hassan Whiteside saw his double-double streak end last game, and began a new one in this win. Whiteside finished up with 19 points, 19 rebounds and also padded his block totals with two more.
Dwyane Wade led Miami's scoring with 21 points and nearly had a double-double of his own with eight rebounds. Wade was all over the court with four assists and three steals. Despite this being the second night of a back-to-back, the veteran looked energized and was highly productive.
All five of Miami's starters posted double-digit point lines in what was a team win. The Heat were sloppy at the start in terms of turnovers, but were able to maintain possessions and find the bottom of the basket when it was needed most.
The home-and-home series between these two teams will continue on Sunday when the 76ers visit AmericanAirlines Arena at 6 p.m.
