Shorthanded by injuries and illnesses, the Sixers fought back from a 16-point deficit but fell short to the Heat Friday at the Wells Fargo Center. With a 112-102 loss, they dropped their 11th straight game and fell to 8-54 on the season.
Jahlil Okafor (shin) and Nerlens Noel (knee) did not play. Nik Stauskas and Kendall Marshall (upper-respiratory infections) were not in the arena. In addition, T.J. McConnell (shin) and Hollis Thompson (upper respiratory) were playing on restricted minutes.
Turning point
The Sixers trailed 69-59 with 7:35 left in the third. They went on a 10-0 run to even up the score and took a 72-69 lead off a Jerami Grant three-point play. After Hassan Whiteside had made it a two-point game with a free throw, Grant committed a turnover and Wade tied the game with a fastbreak dunk. From there, the Heat built their lead back up to double digits before the end of the quarter.
High numbers
Ish Smith led all players with 26 points (11 for 21 from the field) with eight rebounds and five assists. Robert Covington was right behind him with 25 points (8 for 18 from the floor, 4 for 11 from three), five rebounds and three assists.
Whiteside recorded his 26th double-double of the season with 19 points and 19 rebounds. Dwyane Wade scored a team-high 21 points (7 for 16 from the field, 7 for 9 from the line), eight rebounds and four assists.
Brand debuts
As Brett Brown expected because of the Sixers' depleted roster, Elton Brand made his season debut. He started the second quarter, checking in for the first time since May 20, 2015 as a member of the Hawks. The 18th-year veteran’s first bucket was a 13-foot jump shot on a pass from Isaiah Canaan. He finished with eight points (3 for 6 from the field, 2 of 2 from the line) and four rebounds in 13 minutes.
NBA
Limited turnovers
In spite of the loss, the Sixers set a new season-low for turnovers in a game. They committed eight, which led to 10 Heat points. Their previous low was 11, tallied twice this season.
The Heat have had success playing in Philadelphia. They improved to 19-17 at the Wells Fargo Center, their third-best winning percentage in a road arena with a minimum of 35 games played there over franchise history. The Verizon Center (62.2 percent) and BMO Harris Bradley Center (60.8 percent) rank first and second, respectively.
Up next
The Sixers will travel to Miami on Saturday to play the Heat, once again, on Sunday.