Player grades: Shorthanded Sixers fall late to Heat in Game 1 on the road
MIAMI — The Philadelphia 76ers knew this series was not going to be easy. To go up against the No. 1 seed in the East without your best player is a tall task for any team. Without Joel Embiid the Sixers got a little funky with their lineups and they gave the Miami Heat a bit of a battle all night long in Game 1.
Despite falling behind by 14 points early, Philadelphia battled back and they took a 51-50 halftime lead in Miami. Every time it looked like the Heat would then pull away in the second half, the Sixers would answer back and make it a game. Alas, the Heat did eventually pull away and walked away with a 106-92 victory, but the Sixers can feel good about their effort heading into Game 2. They had a lot of open looks, but they couldn’t convert.
Tobias Harris led the Sixers with 27 points and six rebounds, James Harden had 16 points, nine rebounds, and five assists, and Tyrese Maxey added 19 points. Paul Reed gave four points and nine rebounds off the bench.
Here are the player grades following the Game 1 loss:
James Harden: C
The Sixers will have to rely on Harden to lead the way in this series and he got off to an aggressive start, but he wasn’t able to finish much. P.J. Tucker did a helluva job hounding him up and down the floor and he wasn’t able to get many clean looks. Harden does deserve credit for staying in it and being able to give the Sixers a boost at times. He was great in terms of his playmaking. He would have had more assists if the Sixers would have knocked down their open looks and he was able to get some tough shots to fall, but really, it just wasn’t enough. They will need more from him in this series.
Tyrese Maxey: C+
The Heat made a conscious effort to stop Maxey from getting downhill into the paint. The young guard had a tough time battling against a tough Heat team, but when he did get into the paint, he was able to make something happen whether it was a bucket or he was getting fouled. All in all, Maxey was still able to have some success on the offensive end and he gave the Sixers some production there without the big fella.
Danny Green: C
The veteran knocked down a tough triple in the opening quarter with the Heat smothering him, but he had a tough time on the defensive end. Miami was really doing whatever they wanted and they made it look easy with no Embiid back there to protect the rim.
Tobias Harris: A
Out of the starters, Harris played pretty well. He was getting to his spots on the offensive end and was finishing his looks and he was a real consistent threat for them in this one. He was aggressively getting into the paint and he did a very good job of making plays for others as well as himself. He was by far their best player in this one as he was consistent on the offensive end and he was great on defense against Jimmy Butler. Without him, they wouldn’t have even had a chance in this one. He deserves a lot of credit against a very tough Heat team.
DeAndre Jordan: D-
The Sixers decided to go big with Jordan to start this series and the minutes were just really tough. Other than an alley-oop he caught and finished, he really couldn’t contribute much. He was put in a blender on the defensive end and the Heat literally got whatever they wanted when he was in the game. He wasn’t much better in the second half and it was just an overall tough night for the veteran. It’s hard to justify starting him again in Game 2. Paging Embiid, Joel.
Niang had a couple of tough luck misses from deep which limited his effectiveness because he struggled again on the defensive end. Miami continued to go at him and he had a tough time protecting the rim. He also had a tough time trying to grab rebounds so when he isn’t able to make any triples, it’s hard to justify playing him.
Paul Reed: C+
With the poor start from Jordan, the Sixers turned to Reed rather quickly and he did pick up two fouls in the first two minutes of the game. He did calm down a bit and he was helpful on the defensive end to help Philadelphia creep back into it despite their poor start. He still had a tough time with the fouls and he has to be much better in that area, but he at least was helpful on the glass and finishing around the rim.
Matisse Thybulle: D+
The Sixers needed a spark from the bench unit and Thybulle gave it a bit on the defensive end with his activity. He was able to make an impact in the passing lanes with deflections and really bothered the Heat. He did commit a bad foul on a Tyler Herro triple while going for a block from behind. He made a wrong read on a couple of plays on the offensive end. He went the wrong way on a backdoor cut which led to a turnover and he badly missed an open triple.
Paul Millsap: D+
The Sixers had to get funky with lineups in this one with Embiid out so they decided to go to Millsap for the first time in these playoffs. He had a nice steal against Bam Adebayo, but other than that, he had a tough time moving his feet on the defensive end of the floor and the Heat exploited him.
Shake Milton: D
Milton looked a little invisible out there on both ends of the floor. He couldn’t get into a rhythm on the offensive end and he had a tough time on defense. That seemed to be a theme for the Sixers in this one all-around. He deserves some credit for being a solid ball-handler when Harden and Maxey needed a break.
Furkan Korkmaz: F
The Sixers again got a little wild with their lineups and they threw Korkmaz out there for a bit. He seemed somewhat overwhelmed by the athleticism and the physical play of the Heat. He couldn’t get a clean shot off in this one. He also made a few defensive mistakes that allowed the Heat to get into a groove quickly.
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