Miami Heat vs Philadelphia 76ers: NBA Playoffs Game 3 live scores, blog

Match result

Ben Simmons and the 76ers pulled away in the third. The consistent energy from Simmons and vital presence of Embiid helped lead to incredible games from Saric and Belinelli.

The smothering defence played by the Sixers in the fourth leading to a 32-14 advantage eventually led to the Heat’s blowup. The length of Covington, Simmons and Embiid led to turnovers and tough looks for a waning Miami unit.

TJ McConnell’s spark in the second half and Justin Anderson’s tenacity also played a role in the win.

Though the Heat had the lead heading into the second, albeit by one, Dragic’s effort was not enough to make up for Whiteside’s inability to stay in front of Embiid. In addition, the reliance of Winslow hampered the Heat in the second half.

While both teams could not miss from three, the ramped up defence and adjustments on Dragic, Johnson and Winslow in the final quarter were the difference for Philadelphia.

A massive win for the young 76ers, they will again be in Miami to take on the Heat in a few days. Game 4 will be at American Airlines Arena on Sunday at 4:30am (AEST).

Sixers lead the series 2-1.

Final
PHI – 128
MIA – 108

Match preview

Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers will look to avenge their Game 2 home loss as they travel south to take on the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena for Game 3 in Round 1 of the Eastern Conference NBA playoffs. Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match, starting from 9am (AEST).

In an extremely physical Game 2 battle, the Heat were struggling to defend without fouling early on, but fantastic coach Erik Spoelstra made the necessary adjustments without a foul-laden Hassan Whiteside and was able to stifle a surging Sixers.

Though Ben Simmons got his, with 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, and Dario Saric played a phenomenal second half to bring the lead within two after trailing by 16, Dwyane Wade’s throwback performance with 28 points on 11 of 16 shooting was just too much to bear for Brett Brown and his unit.

Of course, if Philadelphia wants to redeem their loss, they must figure out a way to defend Wade in the post and keep track of him as he comes up the floor. In addition, the Sixers need to contain the mid-range efficiency of Goran Dragic and limit Wayne Ellington’s catch-and-shoot threes off screens.

It seemed the Sixers could not hit a shot from three, going a terrible seven for 36 (19.4 per cent) from behind the arc. Look for adjustments to be made by Brown to get more open shots and not rely on deep shots as much.

The Heat did a great job picking up Simmons early on in possessions which helped give them their double-digit lead heading into the fourth quarter. Not only was James Johnson a catalyst on offence making all seven of his shots, but he did a nice job anchoring the defence with Justice Winslow when Whiteside was on the bench.

As the game went on, Philly exploited some holes in Miami’s defence, but relying heavily on Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova without support from starters JJ Redick and Robert Covington (who played an all-around terrible game) led to the 76ers’ eventual defeat.

One storyline to keep an eye on is the health of Sixers’ star centre and best player Joel Embiid. Embiid will likely sit due to injury but, after clearing the league’s concussion protocol, posted a frustrated message on Instagram about the handling of his injury. He is listed as doubtful.

Prediction
Without Embiid and visiting the hostile territory of Miami, expect the 76ers to stay neck-and-neck with the Heat but eventually show their youth and crumble towards the end of the match.

Heat by 4.

Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of this match from 9am (AEST).