Miami Heat: 3 takeaways from Game 5 vs. 76ers
By Simon Smith
After being eliminated from the 2018 NBA Playoffs, here are three takeaways for the Miami Heat and their Game 5 clash against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Despite their best efforts, the Miami Heat simply couldn’t keep pace with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Going down 104-91 in Game 5 Tuesday night, the Heat were eliminated 4-1 by the Sixers and now have an offseason to decide which direction the franchise wishes to pursue.
For the second time in the series, Kelly Olynyk led the Heat in scoring with 18 points, while also contributing eight rebounds, six assists and three steals. In his best game for the series, Tyler Johnson added 16 points before fouling out in just 19 minutes of game time, while Goran Dragic chipped in with 15 points and five assists.
As has been a recurring theme throughout the series, the Heat were outscored badly in the second half, 58-45 in this case. Additionally, the Heat found themselves again losing the rebounding battle, with this game producing a 53-40 discrepancy on the boards.
For the Sixers, veteran sniper J.J. Redick was again outstanding with 27 points on 5-of-10 shooting from 3-point range, while center Joel Embiid was influential in posting 19 points and 12 rebounds in just 29 minutes of action.
So before heading off into the offseason, here are three main takeaways from Game 5.