After a back-and-forth series, the Heat won two straight games to advance to the next round. Game 5 brought the series back to Miami after two Heat losses in Philly. Kyle Lowry re-injured his hamstring in the previous game and was ruled out for the rest of the series. Miami came out strong in the first half, leading 56-44 at halftime.
It was a strong team effort overall by the Heat, with seven of their players scoring in double digits. Jimmy Butler led the way, scoring 23 points on 60% shooting along with 9 rebounds and 6 assists. Max Strus contributed with the first double-double of his career and Gabe Vincent dropped 15 points with 5 rebounds.
As for the Sixers, they suffered the same shooting woes that occurred in the first two games in the series. They shot 9/23 from three, with most players struggling to score at an efficient rate aside from Joel Embiid. Tyrese Maxey was contained to just 9 points on 20% shooting. Miami dominated in this one, winning 120-85 and coming away with yet another home victory.
The Heat needed a big defensive performance to close out the Sixers in Game 6. Bam Adebayo stepped up to the plate and held Joel Embiid to 29% shooting. Max Strus had yet another double-double with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists, whereas Jimmy Butler had another masterclass performance with 32 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks. James Harden had 11 points and 9 assists, but only took 2 shots in the second half and didn’t convert either.
Miami held the Sixers to just 42 points in the second half and walked out of Philly with a 99-90 victory. With another series down, Jimmy Butler showed he still has what it takes to be the leading man. He averaged 27.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists in 6 games against the Sixers. Miami advances to the East Finals to play the Boston Celtics on Tuesday.
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