After a pathetic loss to the Miami Heat on Monday night, the Sixers had a chance to get back into the win column against the Heat again tonight in Miami. A completely different vibe to tonight's game as the Sixers took a 20 point lead and never looked back. A game where James Harden, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul Reed outshined the Miami Heat.
No Joel Embiid tonight so Doc Rivers gave the Sixers a completely different look, lineup-wise, but this team didn't think twice and split with the Miami Heat 1-1 to start off the season series. A short summary of tonight's game and some big key takeaways from tonight's game below...
First Half
• Sixers got off to a slow start with a few bad mistakes that led to turnovers and quick buckets from Miami
• These slow defensive starts cannot happen anymore. Giving up 38 first quarter points to one of the worst scoring offenses in the league is unacceptable when you're fighting for a high playoff seed.
• Tyrese Maxey, once again showing why he should be starting every game. He came out right away, aggressive as possible. Maxey had 10 points in the first quarter including 2 threes.
• Its a good sign that Tobias Harris is taking shots early. He took 4 quick shots in the first quarter which is as many as he had in the entire game on Monday night against the Heat
• Shake Milton's playmaking during the 2nd quarter was huge. He made some beautiful passes that led to a few wide open shots. The offense was really in a groove when Milton was in the game.
• Don't you just love when the Sixers play with some energy and grit (I do). They went on a 12-0 run with the second unit In the second quarter. They looked locked in defensively and seemed like they were doing whatever they wanted to on the offensive end.
• This is the kind of basketball we want from Paul Reed, he was everywhere on the defensive end, and didn't do a terrible job finishing the ball around the rim.
Second Half
• Here's something the Sixers don't do so often, hold leads. They kept the foot on the gas (except for Miami's 10-0 run) and ended the third quarter exactly how they started it.
• Paul Reed has been great as a switch defender. He had some great defensive possessions against Butler, Herro, and Adebayo.
• Tyrese Maxey has absolutely gotten his touch back. He's made some crazy athletic, acrobatic layups that had my jaw dropping.
Key Takeaways
• Tonight will mark the first time that Georges Niang will receive a DNP-Coach's decision since he's been on this Sixers team. Interesting to look at going forward considering Niang has been playing remarkably bad recently. Danuel House took over Niang's minutes tonight and he didn't look too bad. House of course, still struggling to find his 3 point shot but it gave this Sixers team a different look on both sides of the ball.
• Doc Rivers ran a lineup of Milton/Maxey/House/McDaniels/Reed and it surprisingly worked out pretty well. The lineup gave the defense a ton of length and good athleticism and it looked pretty well on the offensive end.
• Aggressive Tyrese Maxey is the best kind of Maxey. He finished tonight with 27 points, went 4-7 from beyond the arc and 10-17 from the field. Maxey's athleticism is going be insanely huge in this years playoff run.
• Hello, Paul Reed! He finished the night with a team high +/- of +26. This was of the best games of the season for Reed. Career night on the glass with 14 rebounds and a season high of 16 points. If he can play this way in the playoffs and not have his young age show so much, he could be one of the most important players in the playoffs, considering how much the Sixers struggle in the backup center minutes.
• Shake Milton’s playmaking can be really underrated at times. I believe that he should have a larger role going forward, especially in the playoffs. He played very well tonight. He was giving the offense some great looks and hit a few tough shots beyond the arc and around the rim.