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P.J. Tucker contributed 12 points while Bam Adebayo and Tyler
Herro scored 10 apiece for the Heat, who will face either the
Milwaukee Bucks or Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference
finals.
The Heat, who played without Kyle Lowry (hamstring) for the
second consecutive game, advanced to the conference finals for
the second time in three seasons.
"We're not scared of nobody," Butler said postgame on ESPN.
"Everybody has been prepared for this all year."
Joel Embiid, who was playing with an orbital fracture and a torn
ligament in his right thumb, led the fourth-seeded Sixers with
20 points and 12 rebounds but struggled with his shooting, going
7 of 24.
Tyrese Maxey added 20 points, Shake Milton scored 15 and Tobias
Harris contributed 14 for the Sixers, who lost in the conference
semifinals for the fourth time in the last five years. James
Harden scored 11 points, none in the second half.
"Whenever a team loses, we all look for blame," Sixers coach Doc
Rivers said. "I think all of us have big enough shoulders. We
can take it."
Philadelphia's Danny Green played only three minutes in the
first quarter before colliding with Embiid and had to be helped
off by his teammates. Green appeared to injure his left knee and
was ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Strus dropped in a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 3:46
left in the second quarter to put the Heat ahead 45-42. Harden
responded with a trey to quickly tie the game.
The Heat led 49-48 at halftime thanks in large part to Strus'
game-high 16 points. Embiid paced the Sixers with 14.
Miami came out aggressively in the third with an 11-2 run and
moved ahead 60-50 with 8:23 remaining. When Adebayo grabbed a
steal at midcourt and drove to the basket for a dunk, the Heat
held a 68-52 advantage with 4:56 to go in the third.
Milton provided a late spark off the bench for the Sixers, who
trailed 74-63 at the end of the third.
The Sixers looked out of sync offensively to open the fourth and
promptly fell behind 80-63 with 10:43 left. Philadelphia used a
late 7-0 run to pull within 11 with 2:47 to go, but the game was
out of reach.
--Field Level Media
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