The Miami Heat dominate Game 5 from start to finish to take a 3-2 series lead

The Miami Heat absolutely rout the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 5 120-85 to take a 3-2 series lead in this competitive playoff matchup.

This was an all around team effort tonight from the Heat as everyone who got minutes had their fingerprints in this winning effort. They were led by none other than Jimmy Butler, who finished with 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting to go with nine rebounds, six assists and a steal. He was getting to his spots at will and was assertive from the tip. The Sixers were content with switching players like Tyrese Maxey, James Harden and Tobias Harris on him and he set the tone for the Heat in this one as he had 11 first quarter points.

One thing I noticed very early from the Heat in this one was their aggressiveness going through screens and not giving Harden or Maxey whatever 1 on 1 matchup they wanted. Every player on the floor made great rotations and the denials from whoever switched onto Joel Embiid in the post were excellent and forced multiple turnovers.

I still wish I could see an aggressive Bam Adebayo for every minute he is on the floor, but he played incredible defense on Embiid all night long. This led to his worst game of the series as he finished with 17 points, five rebounds and was -29 in his 33 minutes. Bam had 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting, six rebounds, two blocks, one steal and was a +22 in his 27 minutes. I’ll never be okay with Bam getting just seven shots up, but the effort and energy it takes to deny Embiid has to be draining.

Now while we definitely got a great effort from everyone involved tonight, a shout-out needs to be given to Max Strus. His confidence and poise in big moments cannot be understated. While every game is 48 minutes long, I felt like the start of this one was going to be the most important sequence of the series for the Heat. After losing two straight in Philly, they needed to come out with sense of urgency. Butler and Strus made it happen as they both scored 11 in the opening quarter to get Miami off to a hot start. It was a combination of dribble hand offs and aggressive takes to the basket. Strus finished the game with 19 points, 10 rebounds and was a +30 in his 27 minutes.

Now I’m going to shift my focus to the Philadelphia 76ers starting backcourt of Maxey and Harden. In Game 4, they were getting to their spots and combined to score 49 points on 13-of-28 shooting. Things looked a lot different tonight as they scored just 23 points on 7-of-23 shooting and six turnovers. There was a particularly embarrassing moment in the fourth quarter where Harden fell asleep and allowed a pass from Maxey to hit him in the chest and cause a turnover. Butler would go on to hit a fadeaway on the other end to give Miami all the momentum.

Let’s quickly talk about the rest of the Heat supporting cast. We got a Duncan Robinson sighting in this one! He played just 13 minutes, but his appearance at the end of the first quarter had the arena going nuts. Gabe Vincent was huge as he stepped into the starting lineup for the injured Kyle Lowry. He had 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting and was a big reason the Sixers guards couldn’t get comfortable in this one. Tyler Herro had some moments in the second half, but was a non-factor in the first as he had just one point at halftime. Lastly, Victor Oladipo continues to give a steady balance of scoring and defense off the bench. He completed his night with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting, three rebounds, three assists and two steals.

The Miami Heat did what they had to do and protected home court advantage by dominating the Philadelphia 76ers on both ends and taking back all the momentum in this series. Next, we got Game 6 at the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night. Let’s wrap this series up and send Philadelphia packing.