Miami Heat: 3 takeaways from Game 1 vs. Philadelphia 76ers

Here are three takeaways for the Miami Heat following a second-half fadeout in Game 1 of their first round series against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Game 1 was simply a tale of two halves.

After leading the 60-56 at the main break, the Miami Heat simply couldn’t keep pace with the Philadelphia, outscored 74-43 in the second half on their way to a 130-103 trouncing to open the 2018 NBA Playoffs.

The Heat started out of the gates slowly, but due to the work of their second unit, were able to jump out to a 35-23 lead with 1:39 remaining in the opening term. Despite being headed midway through second quarter, the Heat were able to adjust and head into the main break confident of a positive showing in the second half.

This wasn’t to be, with the Sixers going to a small-ball lineup to commence the third quarter, to devastating effects. The Sixers wound up shooting a red-hot 18-of-28 from 3-point range for the game, with their 130 points representing the most a Heat playoff team has given up since a 120-90 loss to the Chicago Bulls in 1992.

In terms of the Heat’s production, Kelly Olynyk led the way off the bench with 26 points, seven rebounds and four triples in 31 minutes of play. The only other players to reach double figures in points were Goran Dragic with 15 points, James Johnson with 13, and Dwayne Wade, who chipped in with 11 off the bench.

The Sixers were led by their perimeter gang of J.J. Redick with 28 points, Marco Belinelli‘s with 25 off the bench. Furthermore, Rookie of the Year frontrunner Ben Simmons was again spectacular with 17 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds.

With such a lopsided scoreline, naturally some adjustments are going to be made between now and Game 2 on Tuesday night.

Overall, here are the main three takeaways for the Heat from Game 1.