Los Angeles – Miami, led by Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo, started its conference semi-final against Philadelphia (106-92) on Monday during the NBA play-offs, as did Phoenix, collectively stronger than Dallas (121- 114) and Luka Doncic, vainly stratospheric with 45 points.
Without Joel Embiid, who is nursing a fractured right eye socket and a concussion caused last week against Toronto, the Sixers were inevitably helpless. And despite Tobias Harris (27 pts, 6 rebounds), they ended up cracking in the second half after holding up well in the first.
They were even ahead by one point at the break (51-50), thanks to a hot shot from Tyrese Maxey (19 pts) to erase 14 units behind at the start of the 2nd quarter.
But Miami is very armed, on all lines and to the back of the bench, his replacements having brought 42 points (against 21 on the Philly side), including 25 for Herro alone (9/17 in shots, 7 assists).
“It’s always the same with us, whoever the guy is on deck, the mentality doesn’t change. We just want to keep playing well and getting things done,” he commented.
Adebayo feasted on the racket (24 pts, 12 rebounds), notably boosting the second Florida acceleration in the 3rd quarter, which folded the meeting.
So much so that their leader Jimmy Butler did not have to force (15 pts, 9 rebounds) his basketball and that they were even able to afford the luxury of a skinny 25% success behind the arc, the Sixers having been abysmal in this area (17.6%).
Expected to guide his team offensively, James Harden weighed only 16 points (at 5/13) and 5 assists (9 rebounds). Very insufficient…
– Paul, 5th best passer –
A return from Embiid is apparently not ruled out for the N.3 or N.4 match this weekend in Philadelphia. In view of the unbalanced balance of power on this first game, it appears to be the sine qua non of a trend reversal for the Sixers, who will have to find the right adjustments by then, from Wednesday, still in Miami.
In the West, the Suns, not the best team in the regular season for nothing, demonstrated their collective superiority against the Mavericks only enlightened by their soloist, certainly high-flying, Luka Doncic.
It’s very simple, in this match, Phoenix led all the time, counting up to 21 points ahead in the 3rd quarter. And the Slovenian prodigy may have been phenomenal (45 pts, 12 rebounds, 8 assists), his team was never able to hope for another outcome than defeat, even when his offensive orgy reduced the gap to five. lengths in the last minute.
Because opposite the weapons were multiple. Inside, DeAndre Ayton (25 pts, 8 rebounds) took his ease, around Devin Booker was decisive (23 pts, 9 rebounds, 8 assists) and in his usual register of metronome that nothing disturbs, Chris Paul added 19 points, with some unlikely baskets in the middle of traffic.
The leader, author of a historic performance to complete the series against New Orleans, with a 14/14 on shots (never a 100% on so many attempts had been achieved in the history of the play-offs), delivered only 3 offerings. But that was enough to overtake Tony Parker for 5th place among the best passers in the history of the final stages.
Here he is behind Jason Kidd, the coach opposite who will have to find a way to limit the “Luka-dependence” of the Mavs, because as prodigious as he is, Doncic will not be able to guide them alone in the conference final. Act two, Wednesday, still in Arizona.
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