The smoke has cleared: the Heat is facing the 76ers in Philadelphia for the Play-In Tournament. It’s not an ideal matchup for the guests, but a win reduces the arduous road in the East Playoffs by having the crew play the Knicks in round one. A loss would force them to duke it out with the winner of the 9 & 10 Game for a chance to go at the 64-win Celtics.

The last time the Heat saw the 76ers in the Postseason was two years ago, and PJ Tucker was around to box out and help defend Joel Embiid. Ascending sophomore Nikola Jović and Thomas Bryant will need to be stars of the dirty work if Kevin Love can’t play (left arm stinger).

But the 76ers won’t be handicapped by a slower James Harden, who plays scared in big moments. Instead, the reigning MVP’s running mate is Tyrese Maxey, a booming All-Star with jet engines in his sneakers who sometimes resembles The Answer.

And Doc Rivers’ predictable offense can’t foil the 76ers by bailing out the other team’s defense. All the movement in coach Nick Nurse’s attack makes the Philly outfit harder to guard.

Presently, the 76ers, victors of 25 of 41 home games, are 4.5-point favorites. When Embiid plays, the team’s win rate rises to 79.5% (31-8), and in those outings, Philadelphia scores 120.7 points per game on 48.4% shooting. Their opponents record 110.3 points with 45.8% accuracy.

On top of that, Philly is second-best behind the Celtics in taking care of the ball, losing it 12 times per contest. The league average for turnovers is 13.6, per Basketball Reference.

On Sunday, coach Nick Nurse didn’t want to say whether guard De’Anthony Melton would be available Wednesday, but he left the door open for the future. Melton has been a part of two of the seven most-used 76ers lineups this season, and both have the highest point differential on the team (33.3 & 25.7), per Cleaning the Glass.

On Wednesday, the starting lineup the Heat will likely see is Maxey, former Heatle Kyle Lowry, Kelly Oubre, Tobias Harris and Embiid. Their top reserves will be Nicolas Batum, an older but versatile switchblade, and Paul Reed, a dependable rebounder and roller.

The Heat’s two largest problems in this game are Philadelphia’s frontline size and Maxey’s speed. Adebayo will guard Embiid to start, but keeping him on the assignment too long could waste his energy for offense. The last time both groups faced off on April 5 in Miami, the visitors out-executed the Heat late. Adebayo also checked Embiid for almost five minutes, giving up six of 12 field goals, including three of four from deep.

On offense, Miami’s center converted six of 15 attempts in the last encounter.

And in that game, Maxey was 1A. His primary defenders were Caleb Martin, Butler and Rozier. He scored four of five baskets against Martin, none in front of Butler and four of five over Rozier. The zone didn’t slow him down much, either, as he dribbled into its heart for jumpers and floaters.

Don’t forget that Oubre thrashed the Heatles on the same night for 18 points, downing 57.1% of his tries, but notably, seven of those came in the fourth quarter. Over the last seven matches, Oubre is recording 22.3 points, making 48.9% of his shots, with 6.6 rebounds nightly.

There is no doubt, now that Don Embiid has returned, his squad is much stronger than Butler’s.

But the Heat has a chance.

It starts with Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra striking a deal with Lucifer so Duncan Robinson, Love and Rozier regain perfect health, followed by the return of thermonuclear Butler, Adebayo channeling Alonzo Mourning, and Tyler Herro devouring drop coverage and blitzes.

The Heat is slightly sharper on the road and plays well when expectations are low. But Butler hasn’t been the same beast this season. While taking 14.4 drives per game, which is good enough for 16th in the NBA, he attempts 5.1% fewer buckets at close range.

At 0-3 feet, he is registering 67.5% of his ventures. It’s the second-lowest mark since he got to Miami in 2019-20, but in his first year, he took 7.7% more shots in the restricted area.

With Butler, the drops in production have caused a surplus of observers to question his hunger to compete. But he is 34.6 years old now. It shouldn’t stagger anyone, considering the juice he spent in three of the Heat’s last four Playoff runs, including two trips to the NBA Finals. And he’s been going through it personally after losing a family member earlier in the year.

His Miami tenure has been the NBA’s equivalent of turning water into wine. He’s made doubters into believers, and he can add to his folklore with a vintage performance- one with at least 14 free throw attempts and 10 rebounds.

Adebayo can’t go soft on the team, settling for outside jumpers. The 76ers will pack the lane against him, and he should take open looks, but he must assist Butler in putting Philadelphia’s backline in foul trouble. On defense, he must do his best to avoid needing the double team when defending Embiid because the 76ers splash 38.3% of hoisted trays when the MVP plays.

And Herro , who is excellent pick-and-roll option with Adebayo, will need to capitalize against defensive breakdowns to give him and Butler a boost. Furthermore, he can’t let Maxey outwork him badly.

An upset won’t come easy, but Spoelstra said he is looking forward to Wednesday’s bout after the Heat’s tune-up win over the Raptors in the regular season finale. “It’ll be a great environment. Philly’s been playing fantastic recently, so we know what to expect there. It’s for competitors only. It should be a lot of fun.”

When asked about an advantage to playing on Wednesday instead of Tuesday, Spoelstra said, “Could have been Tuesday and we would have been ready to rock.”

In the locker room, Butler addressed the press. He said, “It will be a show.”

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The first half was unsightly for the Raptors as the Heat inflated its lead to 19 points and then coasted the last two quarters for a win in its penultimate game of the regular season.

The Heat was absent Terry Rozier (neck) and Duncan Robinson (back). The Raptors were missing Scottie Barnes (recovering from left hand surgery, Jakob Poetl (finger). 

Early, Nikola Jović disrupted the visiting attack as help in the backline and finished at the rim three times off a cut, putback, and drive from the top. Bam Adebayo successfully attacked the lane twice. And Jimmy Butler poured in five points.

On the other side, the guests were a two-raptor horde. Immanuel Quickley nailed a right-wing 3-pointer with Adebayo in front and made two freebies. And RJ Barrett mauled the hosts in transition, sliced the baseline to score plus dribbled past Butler into the paint for a layup. The latter followed up the second frame with an encore, and Bruce Brown downed a pair of threes.

In response, Adebayo detonated. He jammed a fastbreak lob from Jaime Jaquez Jr., rim rolled for a layup, swished a tray and punished the cup from the dunker spot. And JJJ produced seven points and four dimes.

On top of that, the Heat’s advantage swelled to 19 points as Adebayo set up Jović at the post with Quickley on his back for a basket.

At halftime, the Heat was ahead 66-50 and ahead on the glass by one with nine less turnovers. Additionally, the crew had 32 paint points, two on the break, four via second chances, 12 after turnovers and 19 from the bench.

The Raptors had 22 interior points, four in the open court, six on extra tries, three after turnovers and 14 from the reserves.

By the halfway mark of the third quarter, the Raptors chewed down the Heat’s lead to a dozen, getting to the restricted area on five occasions and making a transition 3-pointer.

To counter, Adebayo rolled after a handoff to Herro and punched in a two-handed dunk, and Heat closed the interval, logging five of 10 attempts.

The fourth quarter started with the hosts up 92-75.

Despite Barrett draining a corner triple, scoring against the zone and getting by JJJ and Haywood Highsmith, the Heat was never in danger of an upset. Aside from him, the only other Raptor to record multiple field goals late was Garrett Temple.

For the hosts, only three starters played in the fourth- Butler, Jović and Martin- but the Raps never got closer than below 16 points with over 10 minutes to go.

Late, Jaquez made a 3-pointer, canned four freebies, dunked on the break, hit a baseline layup and set up four plays. And Kevin Love supplied seven points and four rebounds.

The Heat won 125-103. The team picked up 54 paint points, seven on the break, eight via second chances, 17 after turnovers and 50 from the bench.

Jović scored 22 points on nine of 18 looks, with five rebounds, two assists and a steal. Jaquez recorded 20 on his ledger on 46.7% accuracy, with four rebounds and nine assists. And Adebayo put up 19 points on 10 attempts, with six boards and three dimes.

The Raptors had 48 interior points, 10 in the open court, 12 on extra tries, eight after turnovers and 30 from the reserves.

Barrett tallied 35 marks on 13 of 18 tries and picked up 11 rebounds and three helpings. Quickley had 15 points, making 36.4% of his shots, with four rebounds and five assists. And Brown had 14 points on six attempts.

At the postgame presser, coach Erik Spoelstra said, “We have a lot to work on…This was a step for sure.”

Jović came next. He was asked about the team’s ball movement and said, “It feels great to get a win where [we] had so many assists. Thirty-seven? That’s what it was all about in the morning practice… That’s how we got to play if we want to score and that’s what we did tonight.”

The Heat will not practice on Saturday.

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The Heat got away with a dub in Atlanta against the Hawks but almost lost the game, plus its dignity through regulation and two extra periods. The crew has Tyler Herro, Nikola Jović and Jimmy Butler mainly to thank.

They unlocked the offense early, too. Butler finished a layup and lob in transition, drove into the lane for a reverse scoop and converted four freebies. Jović downed a left-wing tray, pierced the paint to score on a slot cut and euro-stepped past Dejounte Murray in the square for a bucket. And Herro added seven points.

The hosts retaliated with 27 opening points on 56.5% accuracy. Most of the damage was perpetrated by backup big man Bruno Fernando, registering four shots in the restricted area. De’Andre Hunter also dribbled past Butler, pulling up for a 10-foot jumper inside the elbow and maneuvered to the left of Clint Capela’s screen, breaching the heart of the defense for two points.

Through 12 minutes, the Heat led 30-27 but were behind on the glass by three.

Next, the defense contained the Hawks to 34.8% shooting in the second quarter, mainly by shutting down Hunter on rim drives in single coverage plus contesting his deep tries.

On the Heat side, Herro tallied three more baskets in the paint and hoisted a successful jumper at the nail, set up by Bam Adebayo’s dribble handoff. Delon Wright contributed seven points. And the rest of the squad made five of 11 attempts in the period.

At halftime, the Heat was ahead 59-47 but behind on the glass by four. The visitors had 26 paint points, five on the break, none via second chances, eight after turnovers and 13 from the bench.

The Hawks had 26 interior points, seven in the open court, six on extra tries, four after turnovers and 16 from the reserves.

Then the Heat’s offense jammed coming out of intermission. The Hawks stuck closely to the snipers, contesting cleanly and overwhelmed paint entries with swiping hands and an extra man.

Jović and Herro saved the Heat from discombobulation in the third as the only teammates to record multiple baskets.

On the Hawks’ side, Hunter cut back door for a layup, swished two 3-pointers, dribbled past Jović to hit an 11-foot shot and canned a jumper over Wright. And Jalen Johnson distributed six marks.

The frame ended with the match tied at 80 points.

Then Herro opened the fourth quarter with the Heat’s initial two baskets set up by Adebayo screens- a left-side floater and wing triple facing Fernando in drop coverage.

But the squad misfired its last six field goals in the closing four minutes of regulation as the Hawks supplied three out of seven buckets, but none more significant than Murray’s dash past Butler for a layup that Adebayo illegally swatted. That tied the game again, followed by a clumsy attempt by the Heat to claim the edge.

In the first extra period, the Heat disrupted deep shots and slowed down Murray, with Highsmith forcing him into two tough attempts at the nail and in the paint.

But the Heat failed to capitalize, logging only Jović and Highsmith’s three-pointers. Butler nearly gave away the game with a turnover. Murray recovered it, racing down court, yet Butler atoned for his error, not permitting a clean release.

In the second overtime, Herro checked Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanović, forcing misses on their rim attacks. The Hawks made only two of 10 ventures the rest of the way, while Jović, Herro and Highsmith combined for 10 points.

The Heat won 117-111. It got outrebounded by 13 and had 44 paint points, 10 on the break, two via second chances, 13 after turnovers and 26 from the bench.

Herro tallied 33 points on 13 of 25 attempts, with five rebounds, four assists and three turnovers in his first start since hurting his foot on Feb. 23. Butler put 25 on his scorecard on 14 looks, with eight rebounds and nine dimes. And Jović produced 23 points on 66.7% accuracy, with eight rebounds and one assist.

The Hawks had 50 interior points, 14 in the open court, 23 on extra tries, 20 after turnovers and 29 from the reserves.

Murray had 29 points on 12 of 31 tries and picked up 13 rebounds, 13 helpings and four turnovers. Hunter provided 23 on his ledger on 43.5% shooting, with 11 rebounds and three assists. And Fernando had 12 points and four rebounds.

At the postgame presser, coach Erik Spoelstra was asked about Jović’s on-court growth. He said, “He’s improved in so many of the areas. It started with his work ethic… He’s really been committed to the work. It doesn’t happen overnight. I always say, ‘So many people overestimate what you can do in a day, but they underestimate what you can do in a matter of months.’”

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A shining opportunity presented itself for the Heat- momentarily claiming the sixth seed in Indiana- but the crew arrived unprepared, and its protections were as soft as cotton candy half of the match, permitting easy access into the lane and giving up the top of the key. And then its efforts were insufficient in the end. Barring some metamorphosis or black magic ritual, the Play-In Tournament is inevitable for the Heat.

For the millionth time, TJ McConnell channeled John Stockton, castigating the Heatles in transition, pick and roll plus isolating Tyler Herro for a fadeaway jumper and baseline drive.

Myles Turner outplayed Bam Adebayo.

Duncan Robinson and Terry Rozier did a lot of running.

At halftime, the Heat was down 46-63. The squad had 20 paint points, two on the break, two via second chances, four after turnovers and 17 from the bench.

On the other side, the Pacers supplied 32 interior points, four on the break, nine on extra tries, four after turnovers and 25 from the reserves.

And of course, the Heat didn’t get its act together until a spurt midway through the third quarter, pulling the group within nine points as Butler swished a corner tray in Pascal Siakam’s face, canned three freebies and hunted down Andrew Nembhard in the post, nailing a turnaround jumper.

And there was a late chance.

The visitors entered the fourth quarter down 13 points. Next, Nikola Jović drew a 3-point foul on Siakam, slicing the deficit to seven and cutting it to six a minute later with a banger in the corner off Butler’s drive and kick. On the succeeding play, Butler pedaled to the rim in transition, making a left-handed scoop.

An Indiana turnover followed, giving the Heat the possession back, and the unit called timeout. Then Caleb Martin hit a jumper inside the nail against Siakam in drop coverage. Yet, Haliburton countered, striking the rim on a right-side drive set up by a horns action.

With 2:40 left, Jović missed up close, initiating a fastbreak that Butler fouled Aaron Nesmith on, sending him to the line. Coach Erik Spoelstra challenged that call unsuccessfully.

But Herro gave the unit an adrenaline shot in the veins, getting fouled by Siakam on a right-wing 3-point attempt. The hosts unsuccessfully challenged, but his three free throws put the Heat down two.

The Pacers called its last timeout, but Adebayo fouled Turner after the catch. Turner made both freebies.

In response, Herro cashed a triple in transition off a handoff from Butler against Siakam up top.

Subsequently, Nesmith was intentionally fouled by Herro, and he put the Pacers ahead by three.

The Pacers wouldn’t let the Heat have a chance to tie, so they purposely fouled Herro with 6.6 seconds left. He made the first, intentionally missed the last, but stepped inside the line too quickly before the ball hit the rim.

Curtains.

The Heat finished with 42 paint points, six on the break, four via second chances, six after turnovers and 46 from the bench.

Butler produced 27 points on seven of 16 ventures, with seven rebounds, eight assists and one steal. Adebayo had 20 points on 44.4% accuracy, with 12 boards and three dimes. Martin tallied 20 marks on 10 shots and recovered three rebounds and two assists. And Jović put up 18 points on six of 10 attempts, with two rebounds.

The Pacers had 58 interior points, six in the open court, 11 on extra tries, nine after turnovers and 39 from the reserves.

Turner had 22 points on six of 12 tries, with 13 rebounds, two assists and two blocks. McConnell dispensed 22 points, making 78.6% of his shots, with five assists. And Siakam had 18 points and eight rebounds.

Postgame, Spoelstra was asked about the first-half struggles. He said, “[The Pacers] definitely were the assertive ones… it has to be every single possession, obviously, and that’s what’s disappointing because we have great habits of playing consistently and doing it hard.”

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Haywood Highsmith and Terry Rozier saved the crew from shame in the first half, and as they were up eight points in the last six minutes, the Heatles muddied their shorts.

The Heat was absent Tyler Herro (foot). 

Coach Erik Spoelstra called a timeout as the 76ers seized a 10-0 lead in the opening possessions. Tyrese Maxey, the one the Heat passed on in the 2020 Draft for Precious Achiuwa, burned defenses with a swarm of jumpers and drive-bys. And reigning MVP Joel Embiid wiped out coverages, shooting from long and mid-distance, plus broke into the paint for two layups off the catch.

In a delayed response, Jimmy Butler, Terry Rozier, and Nikola Jović clapped back, gashing the 76ers transition defense for a dozen points. In the half court, Butler maneuvered into the paint off a pick-and-roll set with Bam Adebayo for a floater, and Rozier made a step-back triple over Nicolas Batum in the left corner.

Haywood Highsmith checked in for Duncan Robinson eight minutes in. Before the sequence ended, he came in as a help defender from the top, rejecting Kenyon Martin Jr.’s layup and stealing Philadelphia’s inbound pass under its basket, resulting in Jaime Jaquez Jr. scoring at the rim through contact.

Through 12 minutes, the Heat was down 29-39, shooting 42.9% to the 76ers 57.1%.

Next, Highsmith took charge as the only Heat player recording multiple field goals (5) in the period. He nailed two catch-and-shoot triples, slashed into the paint to make a reverse layup, carved up the baseline for a dunk and dropped one putback. And apart from contesting deep shots, he poked the ball loose from Kelly Oubre Jr. on a left-side drive.

Additionally, Caleb Martin claimed the Heat’s first lead on a transition pull-up banger. But the 76ers finished the half on a 20-9 burst. Maxey got the cup easily in the open court and sped past the zone. Embiid contributed six more points. Cameron Payne swished a 3-pointer. And Paul Reed made a layup driving left after catching in the middle against the zone.

Notably, the Heat’s last basket of the half sprung off Rozier intercepting Embiid’s bad pass and nailing 28-foot fastbreak triple as the horn buzzed through Kaseya Center.

At halftime, the Heat was down 55-63 and above on the glass by two. The Heat had 24 paint points, 15 on the break, two via second chances, 11 after turnovers and 26 from the bench.

Highsmith recorded 12 points on five of seven looks, with three rebounds, one assist, two steals and a block. Rozier had 11 on his scorecard on 33.3% shooting, with one steal and two turnovers. And Butler had nine points on six attempts and picked up two boards and three dimes.

The 76ers had 28 interior points, 11 in the open court, four on extra tries, 15 after turnovers and nine from the reserves.

Maxey, channeling The Answer, Allen Iverson, tallied 24 points on 10 of 15 attempts, with five rebounds and seven assists. Embiid notched 21 marks on 61.5% accuracy, with three rebounds, an assist and a block. And Oubre supplied six points on six tries and recovered five boards.

Past the halfway mark of the third, the Heat was still down 10 points. Subsequently, the home squad finished the interval on a 17-6 run- Adebayo cashed a left-side fadeaway over Reed; Butler scored twice at close range; Jović splashed a tray; JJJ canned a seven-footer in the lane; and Rozier raced from coast to coast for a reverse layup and made a transition three.

The fourth quarter started with the Heat up 88-87. Butler dribbled left past Batum for a layup and converted a lob on the other side. Kevin Love added seven of his 11 points early in the frame. But after Butler made two freebies, putting the Heat ahead by eight with 6:28 left, the unit got sloppy.

The hosts settled for jumpers and registered one of its last 11 ventures. As they were falling apart, the 76ers got stronger, rattling off 13 unanswered points to snatch control- Maxey killed the zone with a step-back jumper on the right side over JJJ and Highsmith then connected on another on the opposite baseline facing Rozier; KJ Martin got inside for a deuce; Oubre dashed into the lane for a basket and made a three on consecutive possessions and later downed a one more trifecta.

At that point, the Heat’s confidence was fractured. The group followed up with two turnovers by Butler and Highsmith and a miss by the former, trying to go for the win with a three while down two.

The Heat lost 105-109. The squad accumulated 44 paint points, 24 on the break, 14 via second chances, 20 after turnovers and 36 from the bench.

Rozier scored 22 points on seven of 20 attempts, with two rebounds, two assists, one steal and three turnovers. Butler produced 20 on his ledger, accurate on 41.2% of his tries and picked up four rebounds and five dimes. And Highsmith had 12 points on five of seven looks, with nine rebounds, two assists, four steals and a block.

The 76ers amassed 38 interior points, 17 in the open court, 10 on extra tries, 23 after turnovers and 17 from the reserves.

Maxey generated 37 points, filing 15 of 26 shots and recovering nine rebounds, 11 assists, one steal and a block. Embiid had 29 on his scorecard on 44% accuracy, with four rebounds, three dimes, one steal and a block. And Oubre distributed 18 points on 14 attempts and had eight rebounds, two steals and a block.

At the postgame presser, Adebayo said, “[The 76ers] got us out of routine offense, and also, I feel like we [were] careless with the ball. [We] weren’t really detailed at the end of the day.”

Butler spoke on what the Heat need to do. He said, “Win, and everything will take care of itself. Win and we don’t need to worry about anyone else.”

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