Sixers vs. Heat final score: Philly executes a stunner over Miami, 114-110
By Brad Rowland
Well, it is safe to say that no one saw this coming.
The defending NBA champion Miami Heat answered a dominating win over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday with a loss on Wednesday night, and that wasn’t even the shocking part. Miami’s opponent was Philadelphia, who has been a near-universal choice as the “worst team in the NBA” this season, but the Sixers rose up to knock off the Heat, 114-110.
Lebron James was his typical, fantastic self for Miami, scoring 25 points and dishing out 13 assists, but in a spot where the Heat were without Dwyane Wade, their defense let them down. Philadelphia shot a blistering 53.8% from the field on the day, and the trio of Michael Carter-Williams, Spencer Hawes, and Evan Turner each went for 22 points or more.
Speaking of Carter-Williams, the rookie point guard was the unquestioned star of the night, as the former Syracuse stud scored 22 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, dished out 12 assists, and garnered an amazing 9 steals in his NBA debut. Scouts have been raving about “MCW” and his talent for multiple years now, but no one could have envisioned this type of NBA arrival, and he displayed every bit of “upside” that he has projected in the past.
The box score for this game was almost comical, as Miami’s talent edge is staggering, but this serves as a reminder (that we receive every year) that anyone in the NBA can rise up and win a game at any given point in time. We could talk about this spot being a “wake up call” for Miami, but for one night, I’ll give the credit to a young Philadelphia team. It’s time to savor this one for all its worth.