This is the Philadelphia Has seventy Sixers postgame show. I beat, I can look about about broach free starts. Is gonna turn and get it off Mattie rolling the Sixers postgame show right now on ninety seven five the Panetic. Three times in the last five weeks, the seventy Sixers and Miami Heats squared off. Those three games where physical, hard fought close affairs, and tonight, in another important Eastern Conference
matchup between the two teams, it was no different. The seventy Sixers fall to the Heat at American Airlines Arena one of eight ninety nine. As a result, the Sixers and the Heat split their four game season series. So if a tiebreaker is ultimately needed to determine playoff seating between these two teams, it will go to conference record. Brian Seltzer from Sixers dot Com with you on the postgame show. We expect to hear from Brett Brown outside
the Sixers locker room. We'll revisit with Tom McGinnis, who had the game call tonight, and we'll also play back some of his highlight calls. Hassan Whiteside had a big game for the Miami Heat, matching his stature twenty six points, eight rebounds, a night in which Joel Embiide, particularly in the second half, just couldn't get going for the Sixers. He finished with seventeen and seven, but five eighteen from
the field was embiide as. The Sixers just not quite able to catch up with the Heat down the stretch. White Side proved to be too much of a force to stop with embid playing with five personal fouls in the fourth quarter, and also you got to give credit to the Heat reserves, which ended up combining for forty six points in the game. In a game like this really evenly played for let's say three and a half
quarters tonight, many runs become so so important. The Sixers were trailing eighty to seventy seven in the early stages of the fourth quarter, and that's when Dwayne Wade, Wayne Ellington, and especially Justice Winslow, who had two big three pointers during this run, they combined to create a twelve to four spurt for the Heat and that pretty much gave
Miami control the game for good. The Sixers were coming off an excellent offensive display Tuesday in Charlotte Day had their second highest point total of the season in their top field goal shooting performance going back eight years. But tonight turnovers started to come quick. Miami a great defensive team. They turned the Sixers over eighteen times in the game, manufactured twenty points off that, and just some of the little things that added up in terms of the final
score of tonight's game the Sixers. They ended up getting twenty from Dario Charch. He also had ten rebounds for a double double, his ninth of the season. Charch has just been so great as of late, five of ten from the field, four of seven outside the arc. You really have to love the way he's playing at this late stage of the season. Ben Simmons chipped in with
ten points, eight rebounds, eight assists. He got started early, especially in open court opportunities, driving hard to the rack, but he ultimately was an option that the Heat were able to take away down the stretch. JJ Reddick with eighteen points, seventy six ers falling on the road to Miami went away to ninety nine. Brett Brown. We believe we have him right now, so let's go to him after the six or drop to one and two on their current road trip. Will be told in relation to
the problems we had in the fourth. Once we identify that gained total, you know, on pace to double from last season. How much did that powel trouble was to did you see him? Um? I didn't feel that. I felt like that's a great matchup. You know, you go and beat in Whiteside and you know, two legitimate big men, skilled big men that want to go at each other. I believe that that that was more to do with
the foul trouble than than fatigue. I think fatigue definitely has a part to say, and some of you know Joel's performances recently, but I didn't go there with foul trouble right to that point with the fatigue, Has there been any thought about resting him at any point because of that? We talk all the time about Joel and you know, as far as a definitive plan, there is not one. But you know Joel and JJ and you
know some of our other guys. You know, I think all that you talk about, but like I say, there's no definitive plan as we speak. But to come up that point to pos Tuesday in Charlotte, what do you say to him to keep shooting you? And you say it like three times and then the last one. You say it really loudly, and uh, you know, as long as he's guarding that, that's where my interests really lies. We understand clearly that making the three point shot will
help all of us. I thought we actually missed him. Sometimes we try to get to the paint and look at a kickout to find him. Uh, it got to the to the you know, the the last six minutes of the game, I believe you know, you just felt like, you know, enough for tonight was enough, and we decided to go with Marco and try to generate some scoring opportunities through Bell and Ellie. But with Robert, you move on, you move on. You don't really pay much attention. I
don't pay much attention to this game for him. Seventy Sixers drop a one o eight ninety nine decision to the Miami Heat. The two teams split their season series, and now because of that, conference record will be used to determine a tiebreaker if it's necessary. More importantly and immediately, the Sixers lead of the Miami Heat for a sixth place in the Eastern Conference trim from two games to one. We'll get into some of the details of tonight's game
a big effort for Hassan, white Side and company. Also Miami's reserved The Sixers just not quite able to sustain a strong stretch over the course of Tonight's game, as we saw them do in Tuesday's matchup with the Hornets. Tom McGinnis is standing by. I will get to him next. It's the postgame showing the Sixers, Rating Network seventy Sixers and Miami Heat wrapping up there four game season series at American Airlines Arena. Tonight Heat over the Sixers one
of eight ninety nine, pulling away down the stretch. Tom McGinnis had the call of this one tonight. Tom a lot of similar qualities and characteristics between all four meetings this season between the teams which took place the last five weeks, but the home team winning each time in Miami, able to keep going to white Side down the stretch,
and some of the reserves really important contributions. They got three threes from Winslow, three from Ellington, Olink had ten points including the three, and Dwayne Wade had sixteen, so their reserves had balanced. Richardson I thought played pretty well. He hit the long ball, and as you say, Whiteside was kind of a constant throughout, so they just had more jump from the beginning. That showed. The Sixers battled back with a flurry at the end of the first half.
They led into the fourth, but in the Sixers were doing the bulk of their damage in transition with a
lot of those baskets by Simmons on the run. But a tough night obviously coming to old for ten as we heard coach address that Joel was five of eighteen, so two starters are combined five for twenty eight for the Sixers, they shoot under forty percent and a tough night here for the Sixers, a bit of a deflating loss after how well they've played of late seventy Sixers drop on to the heat one O eight to ninety nine.
So Miami now within a game of the Sixers. Sixers thirty five and twenty nine on the season with eighteen games to go. And it's interesting, Tom when you look at the Eastern Conference landscape. Yes, there's still a month left in the season, but there is some pretty noteworthy separation between the top eight and then the ninth place
team Detroit. And for the Sixers, it sounded like Coach Brown taking things in stride based on what he said in the postgame press conference, and perhaps looking ahead, seeing a gap of two days without a game now on the schedule tomorrow and Saturday, maybe to let guys recharge, regenerate some energy, in particular someone like him bead Well a couple things. We'll address your latter point right now. Yeah, so obviously off day tomorrow later, arrival here tonight. Now.
I don't know what their plan is the way I would do it, but I would go Saturday and then not shoot on Sunday in Brooklyn. Just let the guys they're going to take a train up there, let them go to thirtieth Street station, and then not even have a shoot around Sunday morning and try to because again it's you're trying to balance practice time and preparation with rest, not just physical rest, but mental rest. Again, this was a two week road trip. I don't remember anything like
this in recent years. I mean, there was a one home game, but even though it's a great crowd and a great comeback for the Sixers against Charlotte Friday, that was That's like a road game when you come home on the night of a back to back and then go right back out the next day. Schedule wise, that's like stopping in Philadelphia for a game. Now, the Eastern Conference, obviously the separation at the top is vast between Toronto and Boston. After that, I would teams three through eight,
they're pretty well balanced. I mean, obviously Cleveland is in the you know, the top three, and when they get Love back that that could change things. They could be a very difficult doubt. Obviously, they got the best player, in my opinion, in the NBA in James So He had a huge night last night bringing them back against Denver with a victory. But these the rest of these teams, Washington, Indiana,
the Sixers, Miami, Milwaukee, they're all pretty evenly matched. I mean this series clearly, with the Heat drawing two two and the way these games played out, these two teams are really well balanced. In Detroit, yeah, they've fallen off. I don't see Charlotte making it these I would think knock Wood. All of these teams are going to make it. The Men, the ones that I just mentioned, the Wizards, the Pacers, the Sixers, the Heat, and the Bucks. And it's just a matter of how it shakes out, how
well you're playing, how health figures into it. But difficult game for the Sixers tonight. I thought they were flat and again it speaks a little bit to the road trip. But yeah, you got to get a little bit of rest and get there. And you know, the Sixers lost at Brooklyn. It's certainly a game that they've they've struggled
up until tonight, that you should get. But more than anything, and this is what I think maybe you're referring to about the way coach Brown handles that you want to play better and keep checking boxes and you know, continue to play well. And what will be now the final month of the regular season, final thoughts after this one away ninety nine set back the Sixers suffered in Miami tonight.
Dario scharch I guess, at least on this end, Guilty has charged sometimes to highlight enough all the good that the second year Ford is doing. Twenty points, ten rebounds, so steady, and Marco Bell and Ellie proving to be a really nice edition. Fourteen points tonight, five eleven from the field, three three pointers. Yeah, and Bell and Ellie makes some difficult shots. He shoots some tough shots, but boy, contested threes, difficult twos. I mean he's really to me
surprised at least myself in that regard. And he's a playmaker and a shot anchor, and then you're right. You can't give enough accolades to Dario. He played thirty one minutes a double double, as you mentioned, just plays with so much spirit and fight. Has added that he had a four point or four three pointers again the night for the second Strang game, and he's really done a
really good job in that regard. He made a three right out of the gate in the third quarter out of transition, got locked and load and got his legs underneath it. And he's just been a terrific player. He's obviously part of the core for for the Sixers, including Simmons, Abide and JJ Reddick, and you know, he's been just a very consistent performer throughout and I don't know that he gets enough credit from the officials too. He got knocked around a lot tonight. There were a lot of
no calls early in the game. In fact, in arena here they showed like, I don't know what it was, but it was some sponsored element for the I could say what the sponsor was, but they didn't. They kept showing it was a Hassan whiteside drop step and a dunk, and they showed it like five different replay angles. He charged into Urson Iliasova on the plane, they kept replaying it and it was the play of the game. I'm like, oh, that time they didn't call the charge and Arson got
knocked down. So that's the kind of night it was. You got to play through that stuff. I get it. But a difficult night for the Sixers. Good to get back off the road, and you know, at this point of the year you basically play every other night, so it's an important last final month. As I mentioned, whatever time it is you arrived back in the Delaware Valley, Tom, enjoy evening in your own bed. Sure cars are snow and crusted down there in South Philadelphia. Thank you, Brian.
Good night one eight ninety nine. The final score seventy Sixers falling in Miami to the heat. We'll hear some of Tom's highlight radio calls coming up on the other side as the postgame show continues on the Sixers Radio Network. At home of seventy Sixers entering the backstretch of their four game road trip, Brian sells with you from Sixers dot Com Sixers and the Heat for the fourth time in the span of five weeks, but for the final time this season, two teams tightly bunched in the Eastern
Conference standings. Let us go to some of the highlights. Ben Simmons imposing his will in open court opportunities early on that staked the Sixers to an early lead, but Miami responded and the Sixers had to work up Hill a bit. Dario Scharch has been excellent over the course of the season. Waited with a nice bibble move kickout, throws it right to Simmons. Simmons driving with Dario Dragage's pack. Ben fakes it, then goes to Dario. Dario puts it in.
Oh man, he's the turn buckle. It goes down hard driving play by the Croatian. The free throw was awarded and made by Scharch. It was eighteen seventeen Heat. After that sequence, it would also be a one point game in favor of the home team, Miami twenty nine twenty eight. Going into the second quarter. The Heat quickly strung together a run to the tune of twelve to two that put them up forty one to thirty one. Simmons was right in the middle of helping the seventy sixers respond,
he scored a basket himself. He set up one of his teammates too, not enough arc on it and Miami with Rockage going the other way to a trailing James Johnson and now Johnson one on one with Simmons drives into a ball's down. Ben steals the ball. Johnson goes down, Whiteside goes down. Here's Simmons passing in the mirror with a slam. What a play by Ben Simmons looking off the defender and a jam by a mirror Johnson so
out of the time. As we said, Simmons a force to be reckoned with when given chances to do damage. In transition, Sixers got to within two points fifty one forty nine and the final moments of the first half, but the Heat would score once more fifty three forty nine going in to the break. It was an outstanding start to the seventy six ers. To begin the third quarter, JJ Reddick help send a squad in front Tyler Johnson. No good, Joe's actually a double Prickers with him. Here's
Reddick for three and good. JJ reddicks Dario with a screen and Reddick with a stop and pop, and the Sixers have recapture the league and the Sixers would outscore the Heat twenty one to twelve to begin the third quarter. That spurt capped off with this very impressive play from a bench player. Here's Simmons download to Marco. He dropped it,
knocked away. Bellonelli finally keeps the dribble bumped at every turn, finally shoots it at in and I probable three or rugged three by Marco Bellonelli at the Sixers by five, seventy to sixty five. Yeah, Bell and Ellie had gorn dragget straped all over him. Still somehow managed to get the shot off at the top of the arc for an impressive three point or seventy Sixers by one into the fourth seventy four seventy three, but the Miami Heats
made their move. They went on a run. Sixers trying to slow him down, cross court, skip baseline rights charge for three at it. So a layup opportunity for the Sixers turns into a three ball from the fire right quarter. Dario bakes it. He's got seventeen. At that stage of the Sixers needed every extra point. They could get. It was eighty eight eighty one on the heels of a
twelve four Miami push. Sixers could not recover Justice Winslow and other big three pointer Dwayne Wade Hassan Whiteside kept coming and that would be too much for the seventy Sixers to overcome. Final notes from the final stat sheet in tonight's game in the fourth and final meeting of the season between the teams, seventy Sixers shot thirty nine a half percent from the field, the heat defense buckling
down Miami forty seven percent from the floor. Sixers fifteen three pointers Miami fourteen of twenty six from outside the arc. The Sixers outdone the glass minus three, although they were plus three on the offensive boards. Eighteen turnovers did not help. It led directly to twenty Miami points. Some individual performances to highlight Hassan Whiteside with twenty six and twelve his point and rebounding totals I beg your pardon, sand Whiteside
with twenty six points and eight rebounds. His point total was the high for the game. Dwayne Wade with sixteen off the bench, thirteen for Josh Richardson and a dozen for Tyler Johnson for the seventy six Ers. Dario Scharch led the way twenty points, ten rebounds, ninth double double of the season for Charch, and he continues to shoot the ball so well from outside the arc. He's been over fifty percent in each of the three games on the Sixers four game road trip, which will wrap up
on Sunday. Ten points, eight rebounds, eight assists for Ben Simmons, eighteen for JJ Reddick four of six from three. Joel Embiid limited in the second half, particularly the third quarter to foul trouble. He had seventeen points and seven rebounds to go with three assists in the game, and the Sixers got fourteen from Marco Bellinelli in a reserve role. There were nine lead changes seven ties in tonight's game. It went two hours, fourteen minutes, sellout crowd of nineteen
thousand and six hundred at American Airlines Arena. With the loss, the seventy Sixers now one and two on the road trip. They're thirty five and twenty nine on the season. They're lead over the Heat for sixth place in the East is now down to a game. Miami has won six times in its last seven games, thirty five and thirty one on the year, and again these squads went two and two against each other, so conference record will be used if a tiebreaker is needed in about a month's
time when you're looking at playoff seating. Up next for the seventy Sixers will be the Brooklyn Nets, which one at Charlotte tonight one twenty five to one eleven. It's just the second win in the last twelve games for the Brooklyn Nets, which beat the Sixers upset them in Brooklyn earlier this season. Brooklyn is twenty one and forty five on the year in those two teams. At Sixers and the Nets meet up on Sunday. Big thanks to
everyone involved tonight's broadcast. Tyler Zuli, Jay Gray back here at the studio, stay tuned to Von Givens is standing by. He'll be up next. The phone number six one zero sixty three, two zero nine seventy five. Now for the radio voice the seventy sixers, Tom McGinnis Brian Seltzer sang so long for now one final time. The final score was the Heats one oh eight and the seventy Sixers ninety nine. Have a great rest your Thursday night, from all of us here at the Sixers Radio Network,