Adrian Fedkiw
Sometimes you have to win the ugly ones too.
On and off the court.
Ben Simmons scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half to go along with 13 rebounds and 10 assists for his first career playoff triple-double as the Philadelphia 76ers overcame 27 turnovers to defeat the Miami Heat 106-102 in Game 4 to take a 3-1 stranglehold of their best-of-seven first-round series.
Simmons, who became the first rookie to record a playoff triple-double since Magic Johnson in 1980, took it upon himself to be more aggressive in the second half as Joel Embiid struggled and the Sixers committed one turnover after another. He was 7-of-10 from the field over the final 24 minutes and those 10 shot attempts tied J.J. Redick for the most in the second half. That’s what I want to see. Simmons took another step in his development on Saturday afternoon.
Simmons took over this game in 2nd half, scoring 15 of his 17 points. Embiid struggled and the Sixers had 26 total turnovers, but Ben took it upon himself to be aggressive. He was 7/10 from field in 2nd half and those 10 shots tied Redick for team lead. That's what I want to see! pic.twitter.com/SRkAyI817n
— The Bitter Birds (@AdrianFedkiw) April 21, 2018
He also wasn’t afraid of the big moment in the final minute either. After five straight points from Dwyane Wade trimmed a six-point Sixers lead to one, 100-99, Simmons drove down the lane for an emphatic dunk to put the Sixers back up by three. Wade answered again by hitting a fadeaway, but Redick knocked down a crucial jumper from the baseline with 30.1 seconds left. Wade then split a pair of foul shots and Redick sunk both of his with 16 ticks on the clock to make it 106-102. Miami couldn’t score on its final trip down the floor and Philadelphia can now close out the Heat on Tuesday in Game 5 at Wells Fargo Center.
Exciting final minute in South Beach as the Sixers overcome 26 turnovers to beat the Heat 106-102 in Game 4 to take a 3-1 series lead. Sometimes you have to win the ugly ones too! pic.twitter.com/j12Nu8y41D
— The Bitter Birds (@AdrianFedkiw) April 21, 2018
Tempers flared in the second quarter as James Johnson and Simmons went at it after Robert Covington fouled Goran Dragic on a fastbreak.
Ben Simmons DGAF pic.twitter.com/jGmEBbSWiN
— The Bitter Birds (@AdrianFedkiw) April 21, 2018
Justise Winslow played the role of instigator again, sitting on Ersan Ilyasova after he was fouled late in the third. This seemed to wake the Sixers up, however, as they ripped off 14 straight points shortly thereafter.
Winslow instigating again, he's a bitch pic.twitter.com/ScfdkQx3Jo
— The Bitter Birds (@AdrianFedkiw) April 21, 2018
As many turnovers as the Sixers had, they only gave it away three times in the fourth, where they overwhelmed the Heat again for a second straight game. After outscoring Miami 34-13 in the final frame on Thursday night, they did so by a 27-19 advantage in this one. Embiid had three of his five blocks in the fourth and the Heat shot just 34.8 percent (8-of-23) over the final 12 minutes.
Embiid with the maskless block and staredown pic.twitter.com/gs7byxW8Cp
— The Bitter Birds (@AdrianFedkiw) April 21, 2018
Embiid, who was only 2-of-11 from the floor and 0-of-4 from beyond the arc, still managed to score 14 points because he was 10-of-13 from the foul line. He also temporarily forgot to wear his mask at one point and drew a foul.
Embiid temporarily forgot his mask and got fouled pic.twitter.com/OI6YMFVonO
— The Bitter Birds (@AdrianFedkiw) April 21, 2018
The Heat led 83-73 before the Winslow instigation incident. Ilyasova knocked down a crucial right wing three in the final seconds of the third to get the Sixers within four heading into the fourth.
Ilyasova with a huge 3 near the end of the 3rd quarter, Sixers somehow only down 4 pic.twitter.com/CxzQrMkLjU
— The Bitter Birds (@AdrianFedkiw) April 21, 2018
Ilyasova found Redick on a backdoor cut to cap the 14-0 burst and stake the Sixers to an 87-83 advantage.
Embiid with another block and Ilyasova feeds Redick on his backdoor layup. Miami's antics woke the Sixers up! pic.twitter.com/wozJxlfC8E
— The Bitter Birds (@AdrianFedkiw) April 21, 2018
Earlier, despite giving the ball away 17 times, shooting 6-of-18 from long distance, Embiid hitting just 2-of-8 from the field and Simmons committing three fouls, Philadelphia found itself down by just five, 61-56, heading into the break.
Wade netted 25 points to lead the Heat.
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