The Sixers finished winless for the full duration of March Madness.
Their losing streak grew to a dozen games Monday night in Miami with a 117-105 defeat to the Heat.
Lonnie Walker IV and Quentin Grimes scored 29 points apiece for the 23-56 Sixers.
Duncan Robinson was the Heat’s leading scorer with 21 points off the bench on 7-for-8 shooting. Tyler Herro added 20 points and rookie center Kel’el Ware had a 19-point, 17-rebound double-double.
The Sixers’ many sidelined players included Justin Edwards (rib contusion) and Guerschon Yabusele (personal reasons). Miami’s injury list included Bam Adebayo, who sat because of back spasms.
The Sixers will face the Wizards on Wednesday night in their final road game of the season. Here are observations on their loss to the Heat:
Bagley joins the starters
Marcus Bagley made his first career start and the Sixers extended their record-setting number of starting units this season.
The team’s 53rd lineup was Jared Butler, Grimes, Walker, Bagley and Adem Bona.
Bagley gave the Sixers a 4-0 lead when he nabbed a steal and turned it into a fast-break layup. The Sixers capitalized on Miami’s early sloppiness and forced the game’s first five turnovers.
Bagley had another nice play on the Sixers’ final possession of the first quarter when he slipped behind the Heat’s zone defense and slammed in a Grimes lob. He’s had some good moments as a cutter and offensive rebounder his last few outings.
Seven games in, Bagley has yet to break the three-point ice. He went 0 for 2 from long range in Miami, which puts him at 0 for 15 overall in the NBA. He posted six points, six rebounds, a block and a steal in his 23 minutes.
More early shooting woes
As a team, the Sixers’ shooting start was again very poor. They missed 16 of their first 18 three-point attempts.
Outside shooting is one of the areas where the Sixers have ranked among the league’s worst this season. Entering Monday, they were 26th in the NBA at 34.3 percent from long distance.
Walker was literally the only Sixer knocking down threes in the first half.
He was 3 for 7 beyond the arc and his teammates were 0 for 12. After an 18-point game Saturday night in the Sixers’ loss to the Timberwolves, Walker remained aggressive, decisive and low-turnover. His confidence certainly grew as he kept seeing shots drop.
Though the Sixers used a 10-man rotation, Walker, Bona and Grimes all logged at least 18 minutes in the first half. Long-range shooting isn’t part of Bona’s game, but he showed plenty of other strengths in a bright, bouncy start.
Bona tallied 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting, 11 rebounds and three blocks. The rookie’s first block was an impressive, well-timed rejection of a Herro driving layup attempt. Over his last 12 games, Bona’s swatted 31 shots.
Closing in on top-5 lottery odds
Miami led by as many as 14 points in the second quarter and held an eight-point halftime edge.
A third-quarter Grimes scoring flurry erased the Sixers’ deficit completely. He drained four triples in the third period and the Sixers took the lead with an 11-0 run.
Grimes eventually cooled off a bit and the Sixers couldn’t secure the necessary stops in the fourth quarter. Davion Mitchell’s step-back jumper over Bona stretched the Heat’s lead to 13 points. Grimes missed three consecutive free throws with 2:04 left.
On paper, Wednesday’s matchup with the 17-61 Wizards looks to be a winnable game for the Sixers. Whatever the result, they’re now nearly locked into top-five NBA draft lottery odds:
- Fourth-best odds: Pelicans (21-57)
- Fifth-best odds: Sixers (23-56)
- Sixth-best odds: Nets (25-53)
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