Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Heat hold off 76ers on Christmas Day

The NBA’s fourth-slotted XMAS day matchup of 76ers @ Miami was more eventful than anticipated considering the absences of MVP Joel Embiid- a no-go with a sprained ankle for the visitors- and Jimmy Butler- out for the hosts because of an illness and calf strain. It didn’t matter. The 76ers got within striking distance late. The Heat were carried by rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. And there was even an R.J. Hampton sighting.

Early, the Heat went down double digits because Kyle Lowry and Tyler Herro were exploited off the dribble, Jaquez was backed down by Tobias Harris and Caleb Martin failed to recover to the corner in time on a kick out to, again, Harris. But Jaquez and Bam Adebayo unbuttoned the offense for the Heat with a storm of inside cuts through the middle, post-ups, transition attacks and a pull-up jumper.

But the first to go down was Martin, who had five rebounds nearly eight minutes in. He hurt his right ankle, tracking a loose ball out of bounds. He labored through subsequent possessions, but coach Erik Spoelstra subbed Jamal Cain in, ending Martin’s night.

To start the second quarter, Lowry caught and elevated for a layup in the lane but got tripped by Harris, getting him clipped in the back of the head by Adebayo’s knee.

Cain issued a take foul on the following play, and Lowry wobbled on the way up with the help of his teammates. He wasn’t medically examined after almost getting knocked out. Apparently, someone needs to have a seizure from excess contact to the head for concussion protocol to take effect at Kaseya Center.

As the interval progressed, Tyrese Maxey, who missed six tries in the first, misfired over Cain and Hampton’s tentacles. Yet, Philadelphia’s backup center, Mohamed Bamba, converted six of seven shots from inside and out. His issue was failing to stop Herro’s floater and Kevin Love’s deep jumper.

Before halftime, Herro also hit a fall-away shot in the corner plus another on the same side over Kelly Oubre and cut through the center for a left-handed layup. Adebayo scored seven more points. And JJJ spun past Oubre for a close-range finish and scored again in transition.

At halftime, the Heat were ahead 63-49, with two points scored off turnovers, eleven on the break, four from second chances and 26 in the paint. Herro, Adebayo and Jaquez combined for 44 points on 17 of 30 attempts. In that span, the hosts held Philadelphia to 35.8% shooting.

In the third quarter, the Heat fell apart defensively, conceding 37 points in a weak zone and man coverage. Maxey was still struggling, but Oubre, Melton and Harris battered the Heat with triples and drive-bys.

In this frame, Herro bricked five trays as Philly contested cleanly after the catch. But Jaquez was depended on, canning an open corner trifecta, seizing the baseline for a layup and pulling up from 17 feet away.

Both squads were tied at 86 entering the fourth quarter and, because they couldn’t defend without fouling, were in the bonus with under eight minutes to go. Philadelphia made seven of 13 freebies, and Miami logged 13 of 14. Aside from that, Jaquez cut again on the baseline, this time for a dunk, plus swished a floater over Harris in the paint. And Adebayo scored three more baskets in the lane.

The Heat won 119-113, finishing with a 20-point rebound advantage and 10 more free throw attempts. In the half court, Miami scored 103.2 points per 100 of those plays, good enough for the 66th percentile of all games this season, per Cleaning the Glass.

Jaquez, who had a career night of 31 points on 11 of 15 shots and 10 rebounds, handled the on-court interview. He said, “It was a great team effort all around.”

At the postgame presser, Adebayo was also pleased. He said, “We got the W and that’s most important because Spo is still undefeated (9-0) on Christmas.”