The Miami Heat dominate the Sixers to take a 2-0 series lead

The big 3 of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro led the way as the Miami Heat were able to hold off a late comeback from the Philadelphia 76ers in the fourth quarter to win Game 2 119-103 at the FTX Arena to take a 2-0 series lead. Heat legend Dwyane Wade was in the building for this dominant showing as well!

Miami got a double double from Butler as he finished with 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting, 12 assists, six rebounds and two steals. His leadership on the floor and two way ability is one of the main reasons he’s there star, but it’s nice to see the other guys play well alongside him as well. Bam finished his complete night with 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting and 9-of-11 from the free throw line to go with nine rebounds, three assists and a steal. Don’t feel like I need to add this, but aside from the stat stuffing his switch-ability and quickness is what allows the Heat defense to be as dominant as it is. Lastly, we got to talk about the recently named 2022 Sixth Man of the Year Tyler Herro, who had 18 points, seven rebounds and three assists. A lot of his buckets came in much needed situations for Miami as there offense would stagnate at times and he would bail them out with timely buckets.

All three players were needed in this one, but the Heat were able to blow this game open thanks to a strong game plan that continues to make things difficult for James Harden. While his overall game was definitely better as he finished with 20 points and nine assists, but he was once again inefficient going 6-of-15 from the field. That’s just not going to cut it when you’re missing your best player in Joel Embiid. There were too many situations where the ball would find Harden and stick and he would end up taking a contested step back three. I’m sure if you’re a Sixers fan you would prefer the ball in another guards hands.

Talking about other guards, Tyrese Maxey is one heck of a scorer as he finished with 34 points on 12-of-22 shooting. His quickness is definitely the first thing that stands out to me, but he’s also extremely crafty with the ball in transition. Once he gets a head of steam there is absolutely no stopping him from getting to the rim and drawing contact. The Sixers also got another efficient night from Tobias Harris as he had 21 points on 9-of-17 shooting. Fortunately for the Heat, as I mentioned earlier, Harden didn’t have a strong night and the bench once again did not show up as they had just 19 points. Another horrendous showing from guys like Danny Green(1-for-10 shooting), Georges Niang (6 fouls in 10 min) and Matisse Thybulle (0 points in 20 min).

For Miami, it’s just an embarrassment of riches as they are missing Kyle Lowry for a fourth straight game, but Victor Oladipo was able to step up with 19 points (3-of-4 from deep) and six rebounds off the bench. Plus, his defense is excellent so you lose absolutely nothing on either end. You just have to respect Oladipo for staying ready after not playing early in the first round and now he’s coming up big for the Heat with their veteran point guard down.

To be honest, there isn’t much to critic in this game aside from the Dewayne Dedmon minutes. We got a great overall game from the Miami Heat in this one and, unlike in Game 1, it felt like they had control from start to finish. The defense continues to be connected and the chess match between Erik Spoelstra and Doc Rivers is clearly being won by coach Spo, as expected and your Heat are taking a 2-0 series lead into Philadelphia. Whether Embiid is playing or not, the Heat have a chance to end this series Friday night. It’s going to be tough, but we have everything necessary to pull out this victory. Let’s go Heat!