The Philadelphia 76ers evened the Eastern Conference semifinals series in Game 4 with a hard-fought victory over the Miami Heat on Sunday at Wells Fargo Center.
James Harden finally showed glimpses of his glory days, scoring 31 points for his best performance of the entire postseason. Harden also added seven rebounds, nine assists, and six buckets on eight attempts from beyond the arc — only two of his field goals (8-for-18) came from inside the perimeter.
Joel Embiid scored 24 points to go with 11 rebounds, shooting 7-for-13 from the field. Tyrese Maxey contributed with 18 points, Tobias Harris added 13, Danny Green got 11 and Georges Niang put up 10 off the bench.
Miami Heat shot 20% from beyond the arc
Game 4 featured 17 lead changes and 11 times tied between Philly and Miami. Even though the Heat only turned the ball over three more times than the 76ers, the home side managed to score 13 more points off turnovers.
The visitors shot 20% from downtown, draining just seven of 35 attempts from deep. They made up for it with 48 points in the paint, but Harden’s clutch 3-pointers down the stretch were too much to overcome.
Jimmy Butler scored the game-high 40 points but did not get much help from his supporting cast, with Kyle Lowry and Max Strus scoring just six points apiece. PJ Tucker scored just seven points on 3-for-7 shooting and besides Butler, Bam Adebayo was the only Heat starter with double-digit scoring.
Should Tyler Herro start for Miami Heat?
Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra will need to seriously question if he should start Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo in place of Strus and Tucker. Even though the lineup would become smaller, the offensive upside is enough to at least entertain the idea.
Herro and Oladipo combined for 26 points off the bench. The Heat’s second unit outscored Philly’s bench 28-19. Game 5 will be a key moment in this series as the teams go back to Miami. Tip off is scheduled for Tuesday, May 10 at 4:30 p.m. PT.