Miami Heat hold on against Philadelphia 76ers

MIAMI — It truly was a winter wonderland on Christmas at Kaseya Center.

With the Miami Heat left to wonder how a 21-point lead early in the third quarter turned into a fight to the finish Monday night against the Philadelphia 76ers.

With Joel Embiid out for the 76ers with an ankle sprain and Jimmy Butler sidelined for the Heat with a calf strain, this figured to be something different than a typical Heat-76ers matchup.

It became something quite different, with the Heat dominant early, 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey unable to hit a shot for most of the night, and the shorthanded Heat growing even more shorthanded.

Through it all, the Heat pushed to their sixth victory in eight games with a 119-113 victory, the decision lifting Heat coach Erik Spoelstra to 9-0 in Christmas games.

Short on bodies, the Heat required a variety of contributions and got just that.

“I think that’s the way Heat basketball has been this year,” rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. said of the wild start to a season crystalized in a single night.

There was a career-high 31 points from Jaquez, a 26-point, 15-rebound double-double from center Bam Adebayo, 22 points from guard Tyler Herro and 16 points and clutch 3-point shooting from guard Duncan Robinson.

“I was really pleased with how we responded to that,” Spoelstra said of losing the 21-point lead and still finding a way. “We had to figure out some solutions.”

The 76ers, who endured 4-of-20 shooting from Maxey, got 27 points from Tobias Harris and 25 from Kelly Oubre Jr.

“We were able to bounce back,” Herro said of the 21-point lead lost.

Five Degrees of Heat from Monday night’s game:

1. Closing time: The Heat fell behind 10 early but managed to take a 26-22 lead after the first period. Then, with the 76ers missing 15 consecutive shots at one stage in the second period, the Heat went into halftime up 63-49.

The Heat then went up 21 early in the third period, only to see the 76ers put together a 33-12 run, then take the lead, before it was tied 86-86 at the start of the fourth.

Herro then returned with 6:50 left and the Heat up 99-96.

From there with 3:31 to play, Robinson stepped up with his fourth 3-pointer for a 108-101 Heat lead, with another Robinson 3-pointer with 2:02 to play making it 113-104 Heat.

“There were some good things that we gained,” Spoelstra said of the night’s wild ride.

2. Jaquez steps up: The All-Rookie case for Jaquez took another step forward with the season-high effort by the No. 18 pick out of UCLA.

“He has a moxie to him,” Spoelstra said. “He has an experience level that you can feel that transcends his age.”

Playing an aggressive game that also boosted the Heat on the boards, Jaquez often provided relief points when it appeared the Heat could be headed even further south.

“Really, no words,” Jaquez said of producing as he did in his NBA Christmas debut.

His play proved essential, as did his stamina, with the Heat running on fumes in their perimeter rotation.

“He does all the little things,” Herro said.

In going 39:29, Jaquez closed 11 of 15 from the field and 8 of 8 from the line, with 10 rebounds.

“I don’t think I called one play for him, literally,” Spoelstra said.

3. Down three: In addition to Butler missing his third consecutive game with a calf strain, the Heat also were without Haywood Highsmith due to illness and Josh Richardson due to a back issue.

Butler also took ill over the weekend, putting another crimp in his bid to return.

Jaquez started in place of Butler for a third consecutive game, in an opening lineup rounded out by Herro, Adebayo, Kyle Lowry and Caleb Martin.

“Things change so quickly in this league,” Spoelstra said. “No one knew we would have sickness and J-Rich a late-day scratch.”

Spoelstra said Butler will travel on the five-game western swing that opens Thursday night against the Golden State Warriors.

4. And another one: The Heat then lost Martin 8:43 into the game with an ankle sprain. Martin was up to five rebounds in his brief action.

“We’ll just see how he responds,” Spoelstra said.

The lack of wing options at that point had Jamal Cain playing as the Heat’s third reserve, with RJ Hampton also called into action in the second period. Hampton then started the second half in place of Martin.

“They gave us very good minutes,” Spoelstra said of Cain and Hampton.

Without Butler, Richardson, Martin and Highsmith, it essentially left the Heat without their top four perimeter defenders.

5. The big thing: With the Heat already starting small with Martin at power forward, Adebayo and Kevin Love stood as the entirety of the Heat  power rotation.

Adebayo dominated the middle defensively in the first half and already was up to a double-double early in the third period. Love also had reached double digits in rebounds before the start of the fourth, closing with eight points, 10 rebounds and five assists.

Not only was Embiid out for the 76ers, but replacement starting center Paul Reed was forced to the bench with four first-half fouls.

Adebayo said overcoming the blown lead was another step forward.

“It just shows the grit and the competitive will,” he said.