The player from Braunschweig, possibly due to problems with the Achilles tendon, did not have a good evening again and only managed four points, two rebounds and one assist in just over 17 minutes. Jaylen Brown, with 29 points, and Jayson Tatum, with 20 points, contributed the most to the win against the Eastern Conference runners-up, who were without several key players.
The Philadelphia 76ers in particular benefited from the Heat’s defeat, winning the top game of the day against the Memphis Grizzlies 122-119 after extra time without Joel Embiid being rested. Tyrese Maxey had 33 points, Tobias Harris had 31 and Andre Drummond had a strong 23 rebounds for the Heat’s closest pursuer. The Grizzlies, on the other hand, had to accept a defeat after three wins despite 37 points from Ja Morant and let the gap to the Golden State Warriors get bigger. The team from California got a 122:108 against the Houston Rockets thanks to 40 points from Stephen Curry and is still number two in the Western Conference behind the Phoenix Suns.
