The Heat's Bench is Leading the Way Against Sixers, Embiid’s Injury an Issue

Without Joel Embiid, the Sixers just aren’t the same. That’s the only way to start this article. While the Miami Heat played great basketball and executed coach Erik Spoelstra’s plan to perfection, it's hard to ignore the stark difference in Philadelphia’s squad without their MVP candidate center. The Heat were able to outplay and outlast their opponents for the second straight game, finishing with a 119-103 win on their homecourt at FTX Arena.

The Sixers head back to Philadelphia for Game 3 still unsure if their All-NBA big man will be available. Including the two games he’s missed with an orbital bone fracture, Philadelphia’s gone 0-4 when they don’t get 30 points or more from Embiid. If they aren’t able to defend home court on Friday night, they’ll go down 0-3 and have to climb out of a historically insurmountable hole. What does Philadelphia have to do differently to give themselves a chance in this series?

It’s fashionable, right now, to put the blame for the Sixers’ woes on shooting guard James Harden, who has admittedly underperformed this postseason. Harden scored 20 points on Friday, but every shot looked forced, and he finished shooting just 6 for 15 from the field, only making one of his five three-point attempts. Miami’s tenacious defense continues to give opponents problems, especially ball dominant volume shooters like Harden. But it wasn’t just the former MVP guard who was getting bottled by the South Beach squad. Their stingy squad forced Philadelphia into 14 turnovers on Wednesday night and held the Sixers to an almost laughable 19 points from their bench, which has been essentially nonexistent in this series.

The Heat kept a lid on pretty much every Sixer, except for second-year standout point guard Tyrese Maxey who rained down 34 points on 54% shooting. It was Maxey’s second game in these playoffs with 30 or more points and he’s proving to be a much more reliable second fiddle to Embiid than Harden has. Without Embiid in the post, this Sixer offense will lean heavily on Maxey for the rest of this series and should treat him as their number one option. When the five-time All Star center returns from injury, head coach Doc Rivers could focus on a two-man game between Maxey and Embiid, something the Heat have historically had trouble with. But first they have to survive until Embiid can return to the lineup, which has proven difficult to say the least.

Signs right now point to Embiid being absent again on Friday, which should be music to Miami’s ears, but let’s not forget that the Heat have their own superstar big man that deserves a lot of credit for their 2-0 lead. Center Bam Adebayo has been feasting against the depleted Philadelphia frontline, averaging 23.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game on an unreal 71% shooting clip in that two-game span. He’s been a stat sheet stuffer and a highlight factory so far, dropping the hammer on some thunderous slams that left Biscayne Boulevard shaking.

As impressive as the numbers are, Adebayo’s biggest impact comes in the margins. Whether it’s locking down in 1-on-1 defense against a guard, intercepting a pass, or tapping out a long rebound to start the fast break, Bam has his fingerprints on almost every play of the game and has been the catalyst for a Miami Heat team who have been missing their floor general Kyle Lowry. While Lowry’s return remains uncertain, Miami has had a lot of players step up big time in the postseason and shouldn’t be too concerned if he can’t go for Game 3.

Of course, there’s Tyler Herro, who was named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year just before the game on Wednesday night. The third-year boy wonder smoothly operated against the Philadelphia defense for 18 points of his own in Game 2 and has become the second-best shot creator on the Heat roster behind Jimmy Butler. Herro is a key player in the Heat’s championship plans and has proven time and again that he isn’t afraid to shoot anything. But the real surprise for Miami has been the resurgence of swingman Vic Oladipo.

Oladipo has missed nearly every game since his ruptured quad injury in early 2019. It’s been a long, difficult road for Oladipo, who’s now on his third team in as many years. But it looks like he has forged that river and come out the other side with essentially the same explosiveness that he’s always been known for. He’s been taking advantage of the minutes opened up by Lowry’s absence and is playing like he’s been a member of the rotation for years. The 30-year-old dropped a cool 19 points off the bench and will likely see more minutes in Game 3 if Lowry remains on the mend.

Oladipo and Herro lead a bench unit that might be the best in basketball. The Heat got 51 points from their reserves in Game 2, more than double Philadelphia’s 19. Aside from the obviously devastating Embiid injury, this has been the most noticeable flaw in this Philadelphia team. Yes, their starters are good, even great on some nights. But their bench has been a ghost town this postseason, unable to carry the lightest of loads. 

The Sixers notoriously shipped out two of their most productive role players in guard Seth Curry and center Andre Drummond in the trade that brought Harden to Philly, both of whom they are sorely missing right about now. While the Sixers have the talent to match up with the Heat (maybe even without Embiid) for a quarter or two, they don’t have the depth to battle for forty-eight minutes and by the time the fourth rolls around their legs look dead. Not having anyone to sub in just isn’t a great look, especially when James Harden’s fitness has never been spectacular.

Miami will look to continue their hot shooting, coming off a Game 2 performance that saw them light it up from beyond the arc at a 48% clip. If they can get within spitting distance of that mark again in Game 3 and maintain their relentless rim attack, it should be smooth sailing towards a win at the Wells Fargo Center and a 3-0 lead in the conference semifinals. The third game of the series will tip off Friday night at 7 p.m. EST when the Miami Heat travel to Philadelphia to take on the fourth seed 76ers.