Sixers ride second-half surge to blow out Heat in Game 1: 3 takeaways

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 14: Ben Simmons
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 14: Ben Simmons /
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The Philadelphia 76ers ran their franchise-record winning streak to 17 games with a 130-103 victory over the Miami Heat in Game 1. 

The Philadelphia 76ers’ first playoff game in six years got off to a nightmarish start Saturday, as the Miami Heat jumped out to a 12-point lead in the first quarter and took a four-point lead into halftime. It was all Sixers in the second half, though, as Rookie of the Year front-runner Ben Simmons and a pair of veteran reserves fueled Philadelphia to a commanding 130-103 victory and a 1-0 series lead.

Simmons finished one rebound shy of a triple-double (17 points on 5-of-13 shooting, 14 assists and nine rebounds), while Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova combined for 42 points on 16-of-32 shooting, 16 rebounds, seven 3-pointers and four steals to help turn a close game into a rout. J.J. Redick (28 points) and Dario Saric (20 points, six rebounds, three assists) joined the 3-point party in the second half, snuffing Miami out with a dominant third quarter.

Joel Embiid missed Saturday’s game as he continues to recover from the orbital fracture he suffered in late March, but he could be back as early as Monday’s Game 2. Notching a 27-point win sans the big man should allow Sixers head coach Brett Brown to rest easy Saturday night, but the Heat will assuredly go back to the drawing board and come prepared with adjustments Monday. This series is by no means over.

Takeaways

Brown makes the first big adjustment. With Embiid still sidelined, Brett Brown rolled with Amir Johnson at the 5, using the same starting lineup he trotted out for the final eight games of the regular season. But after Hassan Whiteside made little impact on either end of the court in the first half and Kelly Olynyk went off for 14 points, Brown made the first big adjustment of the series, moving Ilyasova into the starting five in the second half.

The Heat opened up with a 3-pointer from Goran Dragic, but it was all Sixers from there.

Philly busted the game open with a 23-3 run in the third, fueled by Ilyasova (eight points, one block), Redick (eight points) and Saric (five points, one assist). Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra quickly responded by pulling Whitseide only four minutes into the third quarter, but by that point, the Sixers had turned a seven-point deficit into a six-point lead. Whiteside didn’t play another minute on the night, but Philly’s 3-point barrage didn’t stop, either.

If Embiid misses Game 2, will Brown stick with Ilyasova in his starting five? And will Spoelstra counter by benching Whiteside for Olynyk, even if it causes the former to mentally check out?

Goran Dragic’s struggles against Philadelphia continue. In Miami’s four regular-season contests against the Sixers this year, Dragic shot a miserable 37.5 percent overall (21-of-56). Those struggles continued Saturday night in Game 1, as Dragic finished with 15 points on 4-of-14 shooting, five rebounds, four assists and four turnovers in 31 minutes.

Philadelphia’s supersized starting five poses problems for Dragic offensively, as he often finds himself matched up against 6’9″ smothering wing defender Robert Covington. Even when Covington is catching a breather, 6’4″ rookie point guard Markelle Fultz can use his huge 6’10” wingspan to muck up passing and driving lanes.

The Heat have no shortage of role players who can erupt on offense at any given moment — just look at Olynyk’s huge Game 1 performance — but they’ll struggle to turn this into a competitive series if Dragic remains missing in action.

The Sixers’ shooters are a problem. Philly finished 18-of-28 from deep in Game 1, as Belinelli (4-of-7), Saric (4-of-6), Redick (4-of-6), Ilyasova (3-of-4) and Covington (2-of-4) all canned multiple triples on the night. While the Sixers aren’t always going to shoot a sizzling 64.3 percent on 3-pointers — in fact, that was their best shooting performance of the season, by far — it speaks to how much more difficult they are to defend with Belinelli and Ilyasova in the fold.

Next: Raptors shoot the lights out: 3 takeaways from Game 1

While Belinelli appeared in three of the four regular-season contests between the two teams, Ilyasova didn’t join the Sixers until Feb. 28, which meant he missed all but one game against Miami. The likes of Trevor Booker (now on the Indiana Pacers), Jerryd Bayless (now accumulating mothballs) and T.J. McConnell (a decidedly reluctant shooter) played significant minutes for Philadelphia back in February, but they combined for seven minutes (all from McConnell) on Saturday night.

If Ilyasova and Belinelli get cooking from deep, the Heat won’t have the firepower to keep up in this series. Coming up with better counters to Philadelphia’s shooters should be Miami’s top priority between now and Monday, as limiting the Sixers’ 3-point makes will be paramount to stealing Game 2.