The backcourt struggled despite Hassan Whiteside scoring a career-high 32 points in the Miami Heat’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Hassan Whiteside had a career-best 32 points and 13 rebounds, but it was not enough for a struggling Miami squad as the Heat dropped to an abysmal 4-9 on the season. Dion Waiters scored 19 points on 6-for-15 shooting and Goran Dragic struggled to find his mark as the Heat fell to 2-4 on the road.
Joel Embiid continued his early case for Rookie of the Year with another impressive outing, scoring 22 points and grabbing five rebounds while blocking three shots in the process. Gerald Henderson and Jahlil Okafor dropped 19 and 15 points respectively as Philadelphia moved to 4-10 through 14 games.
While the 76ers held the lead for the majority of the second half, Miami was able to claw back and tie the game at 89 with 4:43 remaining on a Whiteside tip-in. Despite the effort, Philadelphia would go on to score nine of the next 11 total points, securing a 98-91 lead with just over two minutes remaining. Embiid’s pair of free throws with 2:27 left sealed the deal, and the Heat fall to a sub-.500 team for the first time this season.
Reeling from injuries and sub-par supporting cast play, its time the Heat take a look in the mirror, before the train flies off the tracks even more.
On a side note, while the “MVP” chants for Embiid were hilarious in their own right, it’s about time 76ers fans have something to cheer about.
Miami (4-9) will travel to Detroit for a Wednesday showdown with the Pistons at 7:30 PM ET.