Sixers cool down Heat to tie series
LOS ANGELES – The Philadelphia 76ers won a second straight game at home, 116-108, to level their Eastern Conference series with Miami at two-all on Sunday (Monday, Manila time).
Former NBA MVP James Harden scored 31 points to lead six Philadelphia players in double figures in the victory.
Center Joel Embiid, who missed the first two games with a concussion and facial fracture, scored 24 points, his presence again making things tougher for Miami defensively.
"The organization on offense, it helps a lot with him on the floor," said Philadelphia's Danny Green, who made three three-pointers on the way to 11 points. "Without him we look a little discombobulated."
"James was incredible tonight for us," Green added of Harden, who also pulled down seven rebounds and handed out nine assists in his strongest showing of these playoffs.
Embiid carried the Sixers early, scoring 15 points in the first quarter. Harden, who didn't score in the opening period, took over with 13 points in the second and Philadelphia took a 64-56 lead into halftime after an opening half that featured 17 lead changes.
The Sixers, up 89-85 going into the fourth, pushed the lead to 10 with less than six minutes remaining. Miami had cut it to five when Harden drove to the rim for a basket then drained a three-pointer.
Embiid, still playing in a protective mask, grabbed an offensive rebound and fed Tyrese Maxey for a dunk that made it 111-103 and Harden made another three-pointer to push the lead to 11 with 1:07 left, effectively sealing the win.
Harden scored 16 points in the fourth quarter as the Sixers withstood a 40-point performance from Miami's Jimmy Butler.
"We know it's going to be tougher in their building," Green said of Game Five looming in Miami on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila). "We've got to come in more intense, more focused."
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