Philadelphia 76ers: 3 takeaways from Game 4 vs. Heat

Now on the brink of closing out the series, here are three takeaways from the Philadelphia 76ers’ come-from-behind Game 4 victory over the Miami Heat.

It may not have been pretty, but the Philadelphia 76ers demonstrated incredible resilience in overcoming a 12-point third quarter deficit to defeat the Miami Heat 106-102 in Game 4 of their first round playoff series. By taking a commanding 3-1 lead, the Sixers now have a chance to close things out when the series shifts back to Philadelphia on Tuesday.

Once again, the Sixers were led by rookie phenom Ben Simmons, whose 17 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists and four steals ultimately proved too much for the Heat to overcome. In his second game back from a facial injury, All-Star center Joel Embiid registered 14 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks, while sharpshooter J.J. Redick was terrific with 24 points in his 34 minutes on the floor.

Following the momentous win, head coach Brett Brown offered his thoughts on the performance:

"“To me the thing that most stood out is we flipped our whole discipline in the fourth period. We guarded, we stayed way more with our roles and our game plan than we did in the first three periods….we settled down in the fourth period and had only three (turnovers.) The execution that the team showed when it mattered with some small pick-and-roll stuff offensively won us the game.”"

The Heat were led by veteran guard Dwyane Wade, who again turned back the clock in scoring 25 points in 26 minutes coming off the bench. Point guard Goran Dragic added 20 points, while small forward Josh Richardson posted 10 points, seven assists and seven steals.

With 12 lead changes and a further nine times where the game was tied, this was certainly a strongly-fought contest with multiple technical fouls being handed out to either side.

Before the series returns to Philadelphia on Tuesday, here are three main takeaways from Game 3.