Dwyane Wade’s strong fourth quarter pushes Miami Heat past Sixers
By Cory Sanning
Dwyane Wade brought the house down, as he pushed the Miami Heat past the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night.
There were 10 seconds remaining and the Miami Heat were down by one. With a nervous home crowd urging them on, the ball remained in the hands of No. 3, a quite familiar face; Dwyane Wade, 36-years-old, guarded by athletic rookie Ben Simmons.
Not only did the former LSU Tiger have the advantage in size, but at 21-years-old, he had the foot speed advantage as well.
Realizing the clock was winding down, Wade sized up Simmons, took a step back to his left and squared his shoulders from just inside the arc. He buried it, to give Miami a lead it would not relinquish.
Wade scored a game-high 27 points off the bench, including 15 in the fourth quarter, and the Heat were able to hang on to beat the streaking Philadelphia 76ers, 102-101.
"“It definitely felt good to be back in that environment,” Wade said. “It was good tonight to be back in that position.”"
Goran Dragic tallied 21 points and six rebounds and Tyler Johnson recorded 16 points for a Miami team that had came in having lost three of their last four games, including a narrow loss in Philadelphia.
The Heat also got 15 points and 11 rebounds from Hassan Whiteside
For the 76ers, Joel Embiid notched 23 points and eight rebounds, hitting three 3-pointers in the process. Dario Saric added 21 points and seven rebounds, as the 76ers have now lost two in a row.
When asked of Wade’s performance following the game, Philadelphia head coach Brett Brown offered a candid answer.
"“That’s what he does,” Brown said. “That’s who he is. That’s who he’s always been.”"
On a night in which he played just 25 minutes, Wade was at his very best in front of a crowd that dearly missed him.
When speaking with reporters following the game, head coach Erik Spoelstra said it was impossible to be oblivious to the energy Wade was throttling throughout the arena.
"“There’s something about Dwyane Wade when you put that Miami Heat jersey on and play in front of these fans,” Spoelstra said. “He becomes someone very special.”"
Wade turned back the clocks down the stretch, and Miami needed him to do just that on a night in which it played from behind for the most part.
Using a 16-3 run early to open up a 33-20 lead in the first half, the 76ers were rolling and the Heat appeared to have no answer offensively. In desperation mode, Miami launched an 18-2 run of their own.
Philadelphia would eventually find themselves up nine late in the third period, but a quick 5-0 burst from the Heat would pull them within 75-73 heading into the fourth.
The 76ers would again find themselves up 10 during the final period, before Miami clawed back once again, with Wade scoring 15 of their final 17 points by himself.
J.J. Redick was hacked while shooting a 3 with just under two minutes remaining, nailing all three free throws to give Philadelphia a 98-95 lead. Wade would answer with 27 seconds remaining, getting fouled while attempting a 3 from corner.
He would go on to make all three free throws, before the Heat fouled Simmons with 23.8 seconds left. A 57 percent shooter from the foul line, the rookie split the pair before Wade took the ball out, a pass not even within the realm of his mind.
Holding the ball for the entire possession, Wade’s 21-footer proved to be the kill shot. Redick had a wide open look to win it at the buzzer, but his 3-pointer deflected off the rim as time expired.
With the playoffs just around the corner and the Heat clinging to the eight spot in the Eastern Conference, Miami will need much more consistency on the offensive end to climb up the standings, with just 21 games remaining.
Next: The Miami Heat Tip Off, Week Two: Rotation changes are coming
Miami will next host the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday, March 1 at 6:30 PM ET.