Down 51-39 to the Miami Heat at halftime in their play-in game Wednesday, the Sixers looked dead in the water. After the Sixers jumped out to a 13-6 lead and drew two early fouls on Bam Adebayo, the Heat predictably began junking the game up by switching to zone, which completely befuddled the Sixers. They finished the first half with more turnovers (11) than assists (eight).
This had all of the makings of a typical Sixers meltdown in the playoffs. Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey combined for 19 points on 5-of-17 shooting in the first half, while the Sixers shot 3-of-18 from three-point range as a team.