Maxey scores 37, Embiid has 29 and Philadelphia rallies past Miami 109-105 to tighten East race
MIAMI (AP) Philadelphia opened a big lead, wasted it all, opened another big lead, wasted that one as well, then found itself in trouble midway through the fourth quarter.
No problem. The 76ers had one last run in them - and it was the only one that mattered.
Tyrese Maxey scored 37 points, Joel Embiid added 29 and the 76ers topped the Miami Heat 109-105 on Thursday night to tighten the already-muddled race in the Eastern Conference for the last guaranteed playoff spot.
“It was a super-competitive game,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said. “Always is. I think it's always an intense, physical, lots-of-energy-expended by everybody that's out there. And it was really going back and forth. Big run by us, big run by them, really back and forth.”
That's an understatement. A 15-3 run by Philly ended it, on a night that was really nothing but wild runs by either side.
- The 76ers started the game on a 17-2 spurt.
- Miami took the lead later in the first half after a 25-6 run.
- The 76ers came right back with a 20-1 burst.
- The Heat went on a 17-0 run midway through the second half, and led by eight with 6:28 left.
“We're right next to each other in the standings so that’s what games are going to be like - back and forth, back and forth, back and forth,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We'll go on a run, they'll go on a run, it just keeps on going that way and they made the final run.”
Maxey was one rebound shy of a triple-double, finishing with 11 assists and nine boards for Philadelphia. Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 18 points for the 76ers, who moved within a half-game of Miami for No. 7 in the East.
“Every game matters,” Maxey said. “Every game is a playoff game at this point. Honestly, we’re like in a March Madness situation. You know, every game is not an elimination game, but every game is important.”
Terry Rozier scored 22 points before appearing to be dealing with some knee pain in the final moments and Jimmy Butler added 20 for Miami, which entered the night No. 6 in the East but ceded that spot back to Indiana. Bam Adebayo had 14, Haywood Highsmith scored 12, Kevin Love had 11 points and 16 rebounds off the bench and Nikola Jovic added 11 points for Miami.
Embiid, in his second game back after missing two months following surgery on the meniscus in his left knee, shot 11 for 25, and the 76ers were outscored by 19 points in his 32-plus minutes.
Embiid checked out with 7:33 remaining and the Heat leading 100-93. It only seemed like the 76ers were in trouble.
By the time Embiid returned, Philadelphia had the lead for good. Oubre hit a corner 3-pointer with 3:30 left to put Philly back on top. Rozier hit a 3-pointer to get Miami within two, Butler missed what would have been a go-ahead 3 with 5.2 seconds left, and the 76ers escaped on a night when Miami could have taken a big step toward escaping the play-in tournament.
“There's no time for emotion right now,” Adebayo said. “We've got a game tomorrow, so on to the next, focus on that.”
UP NEXT
76ers: Visit Memphis on Saturday.
Heat: Visit Houston on Friday.
---
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
Copyright 2024 STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Joel Embiid vs. Bam Adebayo (Nikola Jovic gains possession) | ||
| 11:32 | | Jimmy Butler misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 11:30 |  | Kelly Oubre Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 11:16 | | +2 | Tyrese Maxey makes two point driving finger roll layup (Joel Embiid assists) | 2-0 |
| 11:02 | | Nikola Jovic misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:00 | | Jimmy Butler offensive rebound | ||
| 10:53 | | Duncan Robinson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:52 | | 76ers defensive rebound | ||
| 10:41 | | +2 | Kelly Oubre Jr. makes two point cutting dunk (Nicolas Batum assists) | 4-0 |
| 10:27 | | Terry Rozier turnover (lost ball) (Kyle Lowry steals) | ||
| 10:21 | | +3 | Tyrese Maxey makes three point running pullup jump shot | 7-0 |
| 10:09 | | Joel Embiid blocks Terry Rozier's two point driving layup | ||
| 10:08 | | 76ers defensive rebound | ||
| 9:53 | | +3 | Tyrese Maxey makes three point pullup jump shot | 10-0 |
| 9:45 | | Heat 60 second timeout | ||
| 9:35 | | Nikola Jovic misses two point cutting finger roll layup | ||
| 9:33 | | Joel Embiid defensive rebound | ||
| 9:20 | | +2 | Joel Embiid makes two point stepback jump shot (Kyle Lowry assists) | 12-0 |
| 9:08 | | +2 | Bam Adebayo makes two point floating jump shot (Jimmy Butler assists) | 12-2 |
| 8:44 | | +2 | Joel Embiid makes two point jump shot | 14-2 |
| 8:25 | | Nikola Jovic misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:23 | | Joel Embiid defensive rebound | ||
| 8:10 | | Nicolas Batum misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:07 | | Bam Adebayo defensive rebound | ||
| 8:05 | | Bam Adebayo turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 7:54 | | +3 | Joel Embiid makes three point jump shot (Tyrese Maxey assists) | 17-2 |
| 7:36 | | Bam Adebayo misses two point jump shot | ||
| 7:34 | | Kyle Lowry defensive rebound | ||
| 7:23 | | Tyrese Maxey misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 7:20 | | Tyrese Maxey offensive rebound | ||
| 7:14 | | Joel Embiid misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 7:12 | | Nikola Jovic defensive rebound | ||
| 7:08 | | Joel Embiid shooting foul (Nikola Jovic draws the foul) | ||
| 7:08 | | +1 | Nikola Jovic makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 17-3 |
| 7:08 | | +1 | Nikola Jovic makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 17-4 |
| 6:52 | | Kelly Oubre Jr. turnover (bad pass) (Duncan Robinson steals) | ||
| 6:47 | | +3 | Terry Rozier makes three point running jump shot (Duncan Robinson assists) | 17-7 |
| 6:35 | | +2 | Joel Embiid makes two point cutting layup (Nicolas Batum assists) | 19-7 |
| 6:23 | | Bam Adebayo misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 6:20 | | Tyrese Maxey defensive rebound | ||
| 6:15 | | Tyrese Maxey misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 6:11 | | Bam Adebayo defensive rebound | ||
| 6:08 | | Tyrese Maxey shooting foul (Terry Rozier draws the foul) | ||
| 6:08 | | +1 | Terry Rozier makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 19-8 |
| 6:08 | | +1 | Terry Rozier makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 19-9 |
| 5:53 | | +3 | Kyle Lowry makes three point jump shot (Tyrese Maxey assists) | 22-9 |
| 5:36 | | +2 | Jimmy Butler makes two point driving floating jump shot | 22-11 |
| 5:20 | | +2 | Tyrese Maxey makes two point stepback jump shot | 24-11 |
| 5:03 | | +3 | Terry Rozier makes three point stepback jump shot (Jimmy Butler assists) | 24-14 |
| 4:48 | | Nicolas Batum misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:45 | | Nikola Jovic defensive rebound | ||
| 4:40 | | +3 | Jimmy Butler makes three point running jump shot (Nikola Jovic assists) | 24-17 |
| 4:30 | | 76ers 60 second timeout | ||
| 4:15 | | Buddy Hield misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 4:12 | | Nikola Jovic defensive rebound | ||
| 4:08 | | +2 | Nikola Jovic makes two point running finger roll layup | 24-19 |
| 3:56 | | Tyrese Maxey misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 3:55 | | 76ers offensive rebound | ||
| 3:52 | | +2 | KJ Martin makes two point alley-oop dunk (Nicolas Batum assists) | 26-19 |
| 3:29 | | KJ Martin blocks Bam Adebayo's two point driving dunk | ||
| 3:26 | | Paul Reed defensive rebound | ||
| 3:14 | | +2 | Paul Reed makes two point cutting layup (Tyrese Maxey assists) | 28-19 |
| 3:02 | | Paul Reed blocks Terry Rozier's two point cutting layup | ||
| 3:00 | | Tyrese Maxey defensive rebound | ||
| 2:54 | | +2 | Tyrese Maxey makes two point running finger roll layup | 30-19 |
| 2:40 | | Bam Adebayo misses two point jump shot | ||
| 2:38 | | Nicolas Batum defensive rebound | ||
| 2:21 | | +3 | Tyrese Maxey makes three point stepback jump shot | 33-19 |
| 2:02 | | Paul Reed kicked ball violation | ||
| 1:51 | | Caleb Martin turnover (bad pass) (Cameron Payne steals) | ||
| 1:44 | | Kelly Oubre Jr. misses two point running finger roll layup | ||
| 1:41 | | KJ Martin offensive rebound | ||
| 1:41 | | KJ Martin misses two point tip dunk | ||
| 1:38 | | KJ Martin offensive rebound | ||
| 1:38 | | Jaime Jaquez Jr. blocks KJ Martin's two point putback layup | ||
| 1:38 | | Haywood Highsmith defensive rebound | ||
| 1:33 | | Kevin Love misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 1:30 | | Kelly Oubre Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 1:19 | | Kevin Love shooting foul (Joel Embiid draws the foul) | ||
| 1:19 | | +1 | Joel Embiid makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 34-19 |
| 1:19 | | +1 | Joel Embiid makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 35-19 |
| 1:03 | | Kelly Oubre Jr. shooting foul (Jimmy Butler draws the foul) | ||
| 1:03 | | +1 | Jimmy Butler makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 35-20 |
| 1:03 | | +1 | Jimmy Butler makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 35-21 |
| 0:49 | | Haywood Highsmith blocks KJ Martin's two point cutting layup | ||
| 0:47 | | Kelly Oubre Jr. offensive rebound | ||
| 0:46 | | +2 | Kelly Oubre Jr. makes two point tip layup | 37-21 |
| 0:40 | | +2 | Caleb Martin makes two point driving hook shot | 37-23 |
| 0:40 | | Cameron Payne shooting foul (Caleb Martin draws the foul) | ||
| 0:40 | | +1 | Caleb Martin makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 37-24 |
| 0:38 | | Cameron Payne turnover (bad pass) (Haywood Highsmith steals) | ||
| 0:37 | | +2 | Jaime Jaquez Jr. makes two point cutting layup (Caleb Martin assists) | 37-26 |
| 0:37 | | Cameron Payne shooting foul (Jaime Jaquez Jr. draws the foul) | ||
| 0:37 | | +1 | Jaime Jaquez Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 37-27 |
| 0:36 | | Cameron Payne turnover (out of bounds step) | ||
| 0:20 | | +2 | Kevin Love makes two point reverse layup (Haywood Highsmith assists) | 37-29 |
| 0:01 | | +2 | Joel Embiid makes two point driving finger roll layup (Cameron Payne assists) | 39-29 |
| 0:00 | | Kevin Love turnover (bad pass) (Cameron Payne steals) | ||
| 0:00 | | Joel Embiid misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:00 | | 76ers offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:47 | | Buddy Hield misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:44 | | Kevin Love defensive rebound | ||
| 11:32 | | +3 | Haywood Highsmith makes three point jump shot (Caleb Martin assists) | 39-32 |
| 11:19 | | Kelly Oubre Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:16 | | Haywood Highsmith defensive rebound | ||
| 11:11 | | Caleb Martin misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 11:08 | | Buddy Hield defensive rebound | ||
| 10:59 | | Kyle Lowry misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:54 | | Jaime Jaquez Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 10:43 | | Kevin Love misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:39 | | Joel Embiid defensive rebound | ||
| 10:31 | | +2 | Joel Embiid makes two point driving floating jump shot (Kyle Lowry assists) | 41-32 |
| 10:15 | | +3 | Haywood Highsmith makes three point bank jump shot (Jaime Jaquez Jr. assists) | 41-35 |
| 10:00 | | Buddy Hield misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:58 | | Kevin Love defensive rebound | ||
| 9:48 | | +2 | Jimmy Butler makes two point driving layup | 41-37 |
| 9:30 | | Kyle Lowry misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:27 | | Kevin Love defensive rebound | ||
| 9:20 | | +2 | Kevin Love makes two point driving layup (Jaime Jaquez Jr. assists) | 41-39 |
| 9:19 | | 76ers 60 second timeout | ||
| 8:58 | | Tyrese Maxey misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:56 | | Kevin Love defensive rebound | ||
| 8:44 | | Caleb Martin misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:40 | | Kevin Love offensive rebound | ||
| 8:33 | | Jimmy Butler misses two point cutting layup | ||
| 8:31 | | Kelly Oubre Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 8:29 | | Kevin Love personal foul (Kelly Oubre Jr. draws the foul) | ||
| 8:17 | | +2 | Kelly Oubre Jr. makes two point floating jump shot (Tyrese Maxey assists) | 43-39 |
| 7:54 | | Haywood Highsmith misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:51 | | Tyrese Maxey defensive rebound | ||
| 7:37 | | Joel Embiid misses two point jump shot | ||
| 7:34 | | Kevin Love defensive rebound | ||
| 7:12 | | +2 | Haywood Highsmith makes two point driving reverse layup (Jimmy Butler assists) | 43-41 |
| 6:57 | | Nicolas Batum misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 6:55 | | Kevin Love defensive rebound | ||
| 6:47 | | +2 | Haywood Highsmith makes two point cutting dunk (Kevin Love assists) | 43-43 |
| 6:23 | | Joel Embiid misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 6:20 | | Kevin Love defensive rebound | ||
| 6:15 | | +3 | Caleb Martin makes three point running pullup jump shot (Kevin Love assists) | 43-46 |
| 6:06 | | 76ers 60 second timeout | ||
| 5:52 | | Kelly Oubre Jr. turnover (lost ball) (Haywood Highsmith steals) | ||
| 5:39 | | Jump ball. Paul Reed vs. Terry Rozier (Cameron Payne gains possession) | ||
| 5:39 | | Terry Rozier turnover (lost ball) (Paul Reed steals) | ||
| 5:32 | | +2 | Tyrese Maxey makes two point driving finger roll layup | 45-46 |
| 5:07 | | Terry Rozier misses two point driving layup | ||
| 5:06 | | Heat offensive rebound | ||
| 5:06 | | Heat turnover (shot clock violation) | ||
| 4:52 | | Kelly Oubre Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:47 | | Jaime Jaquez Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 4:36 | | Terry Rozier misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 4:33 | | Nicolas Batum defensive rebound | ||
| 4:28 | | +3 | Cameron Payne makes three point running jump shot (Tyrese Maxey assists) | 48-46 |
| 4:16 | | Cameron Payne shooting foul (Caleb Martin draws the foul) | ||
| 4:16 | | Caleb Martin misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 4:16 | | Heat offensive rebound | ||
| 4:16 | | +1 | Caleb Martin makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 48-47 |
| 3:57 | | +2 | Paul Reed makes two point driving layup (Nicolas Batum assists) | 50-47 |
| 3:32 | | Bam Adebayo misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 3:31 | | Heat offensive rebound | ||
| 3:31 | | Heat turnover (shot clock violation) | ||
| 3:14 | | +2 | Tyrese Maxey makes two point driving floating jump shot (Nicolas Batum assists) | 52-47 |
| 3:00 | | Caleb Martin turnover (kicked ball violation) | ||
| 2:44 | | +2 | Tyrese Maxey makes two point driving layup (Nicolas Batum assists) | 54-47 |
| 2:43 | | Heat 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:25 | | Jimmy Butler misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 2:20 | | Bam Adebayo offensive rebound | ||
| 2:20 | | Bam Adebayo misses two point tip layup | ||
| 2:20 | | Tyrese Maxey defensive rebound | ||
| 2:20 | | +2 | Joel Embiid makes two point running finger roll layup (Tyrese Maxey assists) | 56-47 |
| 2:20 | | Caleb Martin shooting foul (Joel Embiid draws the foul) | ||
| 2:20 | | +1 | Joel Embiid makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 57-47 |
| 2:06 | | Bam Adebayo misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 2:06 | | Heat offensive rebound | ||
| 2:06 | | Kyle Lowry personal foul (Loose ball) (Jimmy Butler draws the foul) | ||
| 1:58 | | Haywood Highsmith misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:55 | | Kelly Oubre Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 1:45 | | +3 | Joel Embiid makes three point jump shot (Tyrese Maxey assists) | 60-47 |
| 1:23 | | Terry Rozier misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:20 | | Nicolas Batum defensive rebound | ||
| 0:59 | |