Tyler Herro scored 30 points and Nikola Jovic shined in a complementary role as the visiting Miami Heat topped the Philadelphia 76ers 108-101 on Wednesday amid a major roster shakeup.
ESPN reported during the first half that the Heat had agreed to trade disgruntled star Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors as part of a three-team deal. If the Miami players knew about the trade, it certainly didn’t faze them as they held off Philadelphia for their fourth win in six games.
Jovic shot 8-of-9 from the field and finished with a season-high 23 points for Miami, which overcame 22 turnovers. Seven of those were committed by Herro and seven more by Bam Adebayo, who contributed 18 points and 13 rebounds.
Tyrese Maxey scored 31 points to lead Philadelphia, which had won five of its previous seven games.
Sixers forward Paul George (finger) returned from a five-game absence and scored nine points on 3-of-11 shooting. Joel Embiid sat out to rest his knee after returning from a 15-game absence Tuesday.
George made a 3-pointer with 4:19 left to draw Philadelphia within 97-93, but Pelle Larsson’s 3-pointer restored a seven-point lead with just under three minutes left.
The Sixers kept fighting, closing within 102-98 on Kelly Oubre Jr.’s lay-in with 56.6 seconds to go. They then got within 104-101 on Maxey’s 3-pointer with 28.7 seconds left.
Philadelphia nearly stole the ensuing inbounds pass from Jovic, but it got through to Herro, who laid it in to essentially seal the outcome.
Herro scored 11 first-quarter points to help Miami build a 29-25 lead after 12 minutes.
Maxey’s 3-pointer put the hosts in front 55-52 with 2 1/2 minutes left in the second quarter, but Miami closed the half on a 10-2 run behind six points from Jovic.
The Heat knocked down five 3-pointers in the third quarter — three by Herro — as they took an 86-79 lead into the fourth.
–Field Level Media
