This wasn’t the start-to-finish stressless joyride that might have seemed likely after the Heat sprinted to a 25-11 lead against Philadelphia at the outset of their second-round series on Monday night.
But the Heat’s 106-92 win against Philadelphia in Game 1 at FTX Arena was a testament to Miami’s resiliency, because the Heat - once again - showed it could steady itself after taking a punch and then knock out a teetering opponent.
Blitzed by a big Philadelphia run that gave the 76ers their first lead of the night just before halftime, the Heat raised its intensity - and its execution - to a far higher level in the third quarter, outscoring Philadelphia 18-7 to take an eight-point lead after three, and then stampeding the 76ers in the fourth.
The 76ers hung around for a time but never drew closer than eight in the fourth, as the Heat maintained its relentless energy on defense and kept stretching their lead, which reached 21 at one point.
With the Kentucky guys (Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro) at the epicenter, the Heat outscored Philadelphia 48-28 over the first 18 minutes of the second half.
Philadelphia, playing without MVP candidate Joel Embiid in Game 1, shot just 6 for 34 on three-pointers (18.2 percent) and was beaten on the glass (47-37).
Meanwhile, the Heat’s defense, victimized off the dribble in the first half, stiffened in man-to-man and weaved in effective doses of zone to stymie the 76ers in the second half.
Adebayo seized on Embiid’s absence, putting together his most impressive performance of this postseason: 24 points (8 for 12 shooting), 10 rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block.
And this was a night that Herro returned to his regular season, Sixth Man of the Year form after struggling somewhat in the opening round (12.9 points, 39.1 percent shooting).
Herro scored 25 on 9 for 17 shooting, including 4 for 6 on threes, and dished out seven assists.
Herro unleashed a personal 10-0 run in the first half and hit several big baskets in the second half, including a three that pushed the lead to 96-77.
Jimmy Butler was off with his shot (5 for 16) but was an asset, as usual, with 15 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals.
PJ Tucker, Adebayo and Gabe Vincent injected a needed surge of energy in the third quarter, blunting a 76ers run. Adebayo and Vincent each had eight points in the third.
And Tucker was a whirlwind of activity throughout the game but particularly in the third quarter, grabbing two offensive rebounds on one possession, harassing 76ers scorers and scoring five points.
The Heat withstood 27 points from Tobias Harris, 16 from James Harden and 19 from Tyrese Maxey.
For a while, this was a night Miami missed Kyle Lowry’s playmaking and scoring, with Lowry still sidelined by a hamstring injury. Miami had more turnovers (10) than assists (eight) in the first half.
But the Heat took far better care of the ball in the second half, with 10 assists and one turnover until the game’s final two minutes.
Vincent, who filled in admirably for Lowry in the final two games of the first-round series against Atlanta, overcame a bit of a slow start and played an exceptional second half.
76ers coach Doc Rivers started DeAndre Jordan in place of Embiid, and that proved regrettable.
Exposing Jordan in pick-and-rolls, the Heat spurted to a 18-6 lead before Jordan departed for good in the first half.
That wasn’t surprising considering that with Jordan on the court this season, Philadelphia permitted 119.6 points per 100 possessions. For perspective, the NBA’s worst defensive team this season, the Houston Rockets, allowed 116.4 points per 100 possessions.
The margin eventually grew to 25-11, before a few dynamics changed: Philadelphia went to a smaller lineup and the 76ers’ most skilled available offensive players - Harden, Harris and Maxey - began to drive past Heat defenders more often than not.
On the other end, the 76ers started playing a lot of zone, and the Heat shot poorly (42 percent overall and 4 for 16 on threes in the first half) and committed too many turnovers, including 10 before halftime.
The 76ers closed the first half on a 19-7 run to take a 51-50 lead, its first lead of the night.
But the Heat effort after halftime far more resembled the away Miami played in its first round series.
While Adebayo, Herro and Vincent were rolling, Harden scored just four points on 1 for 4 shooting after halftime.
“We got a little disjointed in the second quarter,” Erik Spoelstra said. “The second efforts, loose balls, were really inspiring” in the third quarter.
Spoelstra, incidentally, stuck the Victor Oladipo (five points, 2 or 8 shooting) and opted not to use Duncan Robinson.
Game 2 is 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at FTX Arena.
