Sixers seek to extend latest upswing against visiting Heat
The Philadelphia 76ers have been riding a roller coaster over the past month.
The Sixers are once again swinging in a positive direction heading into Thursday's home date with the Miami Heat.
Philadelphia began a five-game winning streak Jan. 27, only to immediately lose five of six following its hot run. The pendulum started swinging back in the other direction with a 27-point road win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, and things continued to trend in their favor Tuesday in a 135-114 road triumph over the Indiana Pacers.
"I still think we're shaking off some All-Star pre- and post- stuff," said Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse. "I think we've had enough games to do that now, so (I'm glad we notched) two good wins on the road."
In the win over Indiana, Tyrese Maxey scored 32 points while adding nine rebounds and eight assists. Joel Embiid returned to the lineup after missing five games (leg/shin) and registered 27 points in 26 minutes.
Embiid had not played since Feb. 7.
"I think it was a good opportunity for him to get out there and get some minutes under his belt," Nurse said. "Obviously, good to see the rhythm and touch offensively."
While Embiid has been in and out of the Sixers' lineup, Maxey has taken on a larger responsibility offensively. He has scored a combined 71 points in the last two victories and is averaging a career-high 29.1 points on the season.
"They got really good players off the dribble," Heat guard Davion Mitchell said of the Sixers. "Obviously, Tyrese Maxey is playing at a superstar level right now. So we got to find ways to swarm him, put two people on him. He can't get any easy looks because that can get him going."
Miami has a pair of dynamic guards of its own in Normal Powell (22.9 points) and Tyler Herro (20.9). Powell scored 26 points in Tuesday's 128-117 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, but Herro was limited to 14 points on 5-of-17 shooting.
The big difference in the game was 3-point shooting, as the Heat shot just 33% from outside the arc, while the Bucks had the same number of 3-pointers (16) despite nine fewer attempts.
Overall, Miami allowed Milwaukee to shoot nearly 50 percent from the field despite the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
"Defensively, it just wasn't a great game," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "It required a whole lot more."
Miami, which had won its previous three games, currently sits in eighth place in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia is sixth with the playoffs less than two months away.
"That pressure is a privilege," said Spoelstra, "and I want our locker room to feel that pressure. We need to push our game to a higher level."
This is the second of three meetings between the teams this season. In the first matchup on Nov. 23, Miami posted a 127-117 road win behind Powell's 32 points and Kel'el Ware's 20 points and 16 rebounds.
Maxey scored 27 points to pace Philadelphia, which played without Embiid. The Sixers have lost five straight meetings with the Heat.