Philadelphia 76ers Blog – Page 77 – NBA Blog

Wade scores 32, Heat beat 76ers 100-94 for 3-0 series lead

The AP reports:

Dwyane Wade had 32 points and 10 rebounds, LeBron James finished with 24 points and 15 boards and the Miami Heat took a 3-0 lead in their first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers with a 100-94 victory Thursday night…

Wade delivered with a string of big baskets—he was 10 of 19 from the field overall—in the third and fourth quarters that spurred the Heat to the brink of the conference semifinals. He drew a foul on a spin move against Jrue Holiday and hit two free throws with 51.6 seconds left that about clinched the game…

Wade was 12 for 12 from the free throw line. For all the hype around the Big Three, Wade remembers he was the Biggest One in Miami. He still plays that way and the Heat needed all of his all-around excellence against the scrappy Sixers.

Chris Bosh scored 19 points for the Heat, who rallied from an early 10-point deficit to move within one win of a sweep of the Eastern Conference series…

Lou Williams missed a 3 with 43 seconds left that would have made it a one-point game. Holiday scored 20 points, Williams finished with 15 and Elton Brand had 21 points and 11 rebounds for the 76ers.

The Heat dominated again from the free-throw line, going 24 for 30 to Philadelphia’s 13 of 19…

Philadelphia’s fast start fizzled down the stretch and a team that showed amazing resiliency all season simply doesn’t have the talent to match up with the Heat.

Heat roll to 2-0 lead over 76ers, 94-73

The AP reports:

LeBron James scored 29 points, Chris Bosh had his second straight double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Miami took a 2-0 series lead with a 94-73 victory over the abysmally shooting 76ers on Monday night.

Showing no signs of the migraine that he battled Sunday, Dwyane Wade scored 14 points for Miami, now 17-3 in its last 20 games and halfway to winning its first playoff series since the 2006 conference finals…

Thaddeus Young scored 18 points and Evan Turner added 15 for the 76ers, whose starters were outscored 76-29 by the Heat’s first-string. Philadelphia shot 34 percent for the game, and after getting 42 points in the paint in Game 1, were held to 24 in that department Monday…

Philadelphia shot only 26 percent in the first half, a record for a Heat playoff opponent. The 76ers’ starters were outscored 41-9 in the opening 24 minutes, and unlike their last two meetings, never put a scare into Miami. Philadelphia had a 16-point lead in the teams’ final regular-season matchup, a 14-point lead in Game 1, but simply couldn’t get rolling Monday.

Miami leading in Heat-Sixers Game 2 first half

By Scott Spangler

After one quarter, Philly was shooting 4 for 20 from the floor. Had to feel fortunate to only be down six.

And not to take anything away from Miami, because they are scrambling and playing hard on the defensive end, but I wonder if this has to do more with the lack of shot-making ability by the 76ers in the halfcourt.

Good thing Evan Turner checked in with guns blazin’. The rookie has been pretty much hit or miss this season, but his play off Doug Collins’ bench is about the only bright spot for the Sixers so far. The 10 points turned in by Turner represent the bulk of Philadelphia’s scoring.

And their starters? Try nine total first-half points.

The Heat find themselves coasting at the half, leading 49-31, shooting 50 percent, and getting just about anything they want offensively. As usual, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are getting into the paint, and setting the table for a Miami route.

Dwyane Wade misses practice with migraine, uncertain for Game 2

Brian Windhorst of ESPN reports:

Dwyane Wade missed the Miami Heat’s practice Sunday with a migraine, leaving his status for Monday’s Game 2 of the Heat’s series with the Philadelphia 76ers in question.

Wade has battled migraines at various times during his career and in January missed a game because of symptoms. That bout left him with light sensitivity for several days. He needed tinted goggles in a game in New York because of it but still scored 34 points in a loss to the Knicks.

The headache started to bother Wade before Saturday’s Game 1, a 97-89 Miami victory, in which Wade finished with just 17 points and battled rare foul trouble.

Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

Bosh scores 25, Heat beat 76ers in Game 1, 97-89

The AP reports:

Chris Bosh had 25 points and 12 rebounds, LeBron James added 21 points and 14 rebounds, and Wade scored five of his 17 points in the final 1:34 as the Heat held off a huge Philadelphia comeback try and beat the 76ers 97-89 in the opener of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.

“The only number that matters right now is 1-0,” Wade said. “That’s all it’s about.”

Game 2 is Monday night.

Thaddeus Young had 20 points and 11 rebounds for the 76ers, while Jrue Holiday added 19 and Elton Brand finished with 17. It was the second time in 22 days that Philadelphia blew a big second-quarter lead in Miami: On March 25, the 76ers led by 16, and on Saturday, the margin was 14…

The 76ers scored 12 straight points in the fourth quarter, closing to 88-87 — but never getting the lead back. Bosh made two free throws and Wade hit a tough bank shot to give Miami a five-point edge. And after Young scored Philadelphia’s final points with 1:24 left, Wade sealed it with a pair of foul shots 14 seconds later.

2011 NBA Playoffs first round schedule

The 2010-11 NBA regular season is in the books, with all 30 teams in action Wednesday night. The NBA playoffs begin Saturday.

The first round matchups in the East are: Bulls vs Pacers, Heat vs 76ers, Celtics vs Knicks, and Magic vs Hawks.

The West’s first round matchups are: Spurs vs Grizzlies, Lakers vs Hornets, Mavericks vs Blazers, and Thunder vs Nuggets.

The complete first round series-by-series NBA playoffs schedule is here.

Andre Miller hits 7,000 career assists

Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune reports:

Miller became the 14th player in NBA history with at least 7,000 assists during Portland’s 98-87 win over the Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena.

In 1998, Miller quarterbacked the University of Utah’s run to the NCAA championship game, where the Utes lost to Kentucky.

A year later, Cleveland selected Miller with the No. 8 pick in the NBA draft. He was taken after two other point guards, Steve Francis and Baron Davis, who went second and third, respectively.

Sixers sign Antonio Daniels

The Philadelphia 76ers announced today that they have signed guard Antonio Daniels of the NBA Development League’s Texas Legends. Daniels is the 21st Call-Up of the 2010-11 D-League season.

Daniels (6-4, 205), has played 12 NBA seasons for Vancouver, San Antonio, Portland, Seattle, Washington and New Orleans. His last NBA season was with the Hornets in 2008-09.

In 868 career games played with 220 starts, Daniels is averaging 7.6 points, 3.4 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 22.6 minutes per game while shooting 44.4% from the floor, 31.2% from 3-point range and 79.3% from the line. He also owns a career assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.16.

Daniels has appeared in 80 career playoff games and won a championship with the Spurs in 1999.

In 38 games played with 37 starts in the D-League this season, the 36-year-old Daniels averaged 14.5 points, 8.6 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.45 steals in 38.3 minutes per game while shooting 44.8% from the floor, 42.5% from 3-point range and 86.8% from the line. He ranked second in the D-League in assists.

Daniels, who was originally the fourth overall pick by the Grizzlies in the 1997 NBA Draft, will wear No. 22 for the Sixers.

Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

Lou Williams out indefinitely with strained right hamstring

Philadelphia 76ers guard Lou Williams underwent an MRI this afternoon which was read by Dr. Jack McPhilemy of Main Line Health Services. The MRI revealed Williams has a strained right hamstring and he will be out for the foreseeable future.

His injury will be re-evaluated on a regular basis in order to monitor his progress and determine his return date.

The Sixers next on-court activity will be at PCOM on Monday, April 4 starting at 11:00 a.m., with media availability following.

Sixers clinch playoff spot

Kate Fagan of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports:

There was no euphoria among the 76ers.

There might have been a touch of relief, some happiness to finally have the logistics behind them. But the Sixers’ celebration felt subdued, modest, almost as if this – a playoff berth – was not the destination, but rather a necessary step along the path.

The margin of victory certainly dulled the jubilation.

The Sixers were assured of a playoff spot nearly an hour before the final buzzer sounded in Friday night’s 115-90 win over the New Jersey Nets at the Wells Fargo Center. Any excitement was stretched across two quarters instead of bottled into one explosive moment.

But mostly, this team seems primed for more.

In the moments after the game, Sixers coach Doug Collins mentioned possibly ending this regular season on a winning streak.

No champagne. No tears. No embracing.