Kyle Lowry rushed after a loose basketball and launched above the scorer’s table and on the public address announcer’s lap.
Lowry turns 38 next week and joked that at his age he has “no brakes.” But his feet flying through the air are exactly how the 76ers guard plays — no extra incentive needed, not even in his first game against his former Heat teammates.
“I think the biggest thing is we understood it was an important game for the standings,” Lowry said. “I love and admire these guys so much. I always support them, except when we play against them. There was no juice added.
Tyrese Maxey had 30 points and 10 assists and Kelly Oubre Jr. had 22 points and 11 rebounds to help Philadelphia hold off Miami 98-91 Monday night in a potential preview of an NBA play-in tournament game.
Lowry shot 6 of 12 and scored 16 points for the Sixers in his first game against the Heat since they exchanged it in January.
“He was a little foul on shots today and he hasn’t been foul of shooting yet,” said coach Nick Nurse, who won an NBA title with Lowry in Toronto. “I feel like he’s getting back to his normal self.”
Bam Adebayo had 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Heat. Terry Rozier III scored 20 points.
The Heat trailed by 14 points early in the fourth, before going on a 20-8 run and tying the game at 85 on Caleb Martin’s dunk. Buddy Hield broke a tie with a 3-pointer and Lowry made a 3, helping the Sixers avoid a collapse in a game they needed to win.
The Eastern Conference champion Heat are in play-in mode again with 14 games left this season, falling to eighth in the standings – they finished seventh a year ago when Jimmy Butler sparked a run improbable towards the NBA finals. With Indiana’s loss, the 76ers are barely sixth at 38-30 — Indiana is 38-31; heat 37-31.
The Sixers had entered an ugly spiral after spending most of the season as a surefire conference contender, until losing Joel Embiid to a knee injury in late January.
Butler (right foot contusion) and Embiid (who continues rehabilitation) missed Monday’s game. Sixers forward Tobias Harris (sprained right ankle) also missed this one, and Miami’s Duncan Robinson was forced to leave the game with a sore back, leaving both teams without power play. star – except for Maxey.
Nurse remained optimistic that Embiid could return before the end of the season.
“I think he’s getting back into shape and into rhythm pretty quickly,” Nurse said. “I obviously think the more games we have with him, the better. I also think we want to get to a point where he’s as healthy as possible in the playoffs or play-in.
At this rate, the Heat and Sixers could face each other in the play-in tournament. In the fourth year of the format, the No. 7 seed faces the No. 8 seed. The winner is in and gets the No. 7 seed for the playoffs. The loser gets a second chance.
“We’re going to try to fight like hell to finish as high as possible,” Nurse said.
Due to injuries, the Heat used a franchise record 32 starting lineups. They’re trying to find consistency down the stretch and avoid a potential second straight streak that begins with the play-in.
“We don’t think about last year or any of the stories,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
Without Embiid, Maxey steadied the Sixers and dropped 18 points in the first half to help the Sixers win their second straight game after a skid in which they lost seven of 10.
FOLLOWING
Heat: Play Wednesday at Cleveland.
76ers: Harris will join the team as it opens a four-game trip at Phoenix on Wednesday.
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