Sixers Sputter in South Beach

By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)

Miami 125, Philadelphia 102 – Box Score

I don’t know whether it was the extra time spent in South Beach leading up to the game, the fact that the Super Bowl was the next day, or just the idea of playing without Joel Embiid, Robert Covington, and Jahlil Okafor, but the Sixers did not look the least bit focused on winning a basketball game Saturday night against the Heat. Miami jumped all over the Philadelphia from the opening tip, surging to a 26-12 advantage behind the dominant play of big man Hassan Whiteside.

In a previous meeting with the Sixers, Whiteside had generally been bested by Embiid in their individual matchup, but he had no such difficulty Saturday with Nerlens Noel and Richaun Holmes. The Heat center grabbed every rebound within his general vicinity and was able to finish around the rim as easily as a pregame layup line.

Two Sixers, zero problems for Hassan Whiteside#HEATIsOn pic.twitter.com/KpqHoAmLB6

— NBA.com (@NBAcom) February 5, 2017

By the time he took a seat with a minute and a half left in the first quarter, Whiteside already had a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. On the game, he tallied an impressive 30 points on 14-17 shooting, 20 rebounds, and 3 blocks in just 27 minutes of play. I’m sure it was a sweet victory for him after Embiid had trolled him over the All-Star voting situation last month.

There was one stretch where it looked like Philadelphia might actually make a game of things, as a 10-0 run brought them within 5 at 49-44 in the second quarter. Ersan Ilyasova was the catalyst, as he led the Sixers on the game with 21 points, knocking down 3-7 from behind the arc.

The second half would offer no notion of a comeback, however, thanks to Philadelphia native Dion Waiters. Rumored to possibly be coming home to Philly during the offseason, Waiters has been enjoying the spotlight in Miami, having just won Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors while leading the Heat on their current 10-game winning streak. He caught fire against the Sixers, hitting his first 5 three-pointers before missing his 6th and final attempt, and finishing with 21 points on 7-10 shooting and 7 assists in only 26 minutes. Dion Waiters, ultra-efficient team player, I never thought I’d see the day.

It’s increasingly clear the Sixers need Joel Embiid back on the court, not only for how talented he is, but also to return some of the energy to the team that has been missing in recent games. Unfortunately, he’s been all but ruled out for Monday’s game in Detroit, so we might have to wait a little bit for the Sixers to snap their current 3-game losing streak.