The Miami Heat looked like they were on their way to an easy win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday before falling 91-87.
The 76ers entered with a 3-23 record on the year and the Heat held a 23-point advantage at one point in the game. A dominant second half by Philadelphia turned the tables on Miami and sent the Heat reeling to their 16th loss of the year. It also put another dent in Miami's home mark which stands at a paltry 5-10.
The Heat took a 15-point lead into the locker room at the half. Baskets were coming easy and it almost seemed that Miami could do anything it wished in the first half. It would appear that Miami may have taken its foot off the pedal a little too early in this one. Philadelphia came out flying in the second half and simply outplayed the Heat.
Turnovers were a big reason for the loss as Miami turned the ball over 22 times. Philadelphia turned those mishaps into 20 points. In the first half, the Heat shut down Philadelphia's fast break ability but that completely flipped in the second half. After scoring no fast break points before halftime, the 76ers had ten in the second half alone.
Dwyane Wade who returned after missing a game with a bruised knee did everything he could. Wade had 23 points, six assists and five rebounds. One area where Wade struggled was on treys as he threw up three and missed them all. That was a team-wide epidemic in this loss however.
As a team, Miami made only 8 of its 26 attempts from downtown. Towards the end of the game, the Heat began to settle for three-point shots instead of trying to find an easier attempt. This allowed the 76ers to not only close the gap but eventually take and maintain the lead.
Miami will now await the arrival of LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday at 5:00 p.m.
