Player grades: No. 1 seed Heat win Game 6 to eliminate Joel Embiid, Sixers

PHILADELPHIA — This was it for the Philadelphia 76ers. This was either win or go home with the Miami Heat coming into the Wells Fargo Center for Game 6, this seemed like an opportunity for the Sixers to get some momentum for a Game 7. However, with Joel Embiid really hobbling, it was not a night the Sixers will want to remember.

The Heat got big nights out of Max Strus to help Jimmy Butler get the job done on the road as they came up with a 99-90 win to eliminate Embiid and the Sixers. This is the fourth time in five seasons that Philadelphia has been eliminated from the second round of the playoffs.

Buy 76ers Tickets

Embiid led the Sixers with 20 points and 12 rebounds, Tyrese Maxey added 20 of his own, and James Harden had 11 and nine assists. Tobias Harris had 14 and eight rebounds and Shake Milton added 15 off the bench.

Here are the player grades as the Sixers now head to the offseason:

The Beard was more of a facilitator early in this game. He took what the defense gave him in terms of his own offense as he was able to get an open look from deep early and he then had another triple look that was halfway down before it popped out. He looked to be in a good rhythm early. His 3-point shot was a big reason for keeping the Sixers in the game. However, in the second half, he was nowhere to be seen and that was a big reason for falling behind late. This was one of those random playoff clunkers in Harden’s career. It was unacceptable for a player of his caliber to play the way he did with the season on the line.

When Maxey was able to get downhill in this game, he had success. When the Heat put Duncan Robinson in the game, Maxey attacked him for an And-1 and that then seemed to get him in a groove. Once he saw the ball go in, he began attacking a bit more and Miami really doesn’t have anybody to stay in front of him other than Butler. He didn’t shoot the ball well, but he was at least aggressive and he emptied the clip. He wasn’t afraid of the moment and he at least gave an honest effort.

Green knocked down his first corner triple of the night which was a huge sign for them in order to space the floor properly. However, he suffered a gruesome injury in the first quarter when Embiid fell on his leg and he was out for the rest of the game with a knee injury.

This was a slow start offensively for Harris. He had a couple of bunnies at the rim that he just straight-up missed. He did knock down a triple at the first-quarter buzzer which was a good sign, but he struggled after that. To be fair, he didn’t get much opportunity, but he also had some really good looks when given the chance. He was pretty solid on the defensive end though against Butler. He gave an honest 100% effort in this one, it just wasn’t enough.

After a tough game in Miami, Embiid looked much more engaged in this one. The big fella looked to be alright in terms of his body after all of the injuries he has sustained in these playoffs and he was dominating in the paint early against Bam Adebayo. After a solid start, the Heat then sent triple teams toward him and forced him to take so many tough shots. He was hesitant to pass because his teammates weren’t stepping up to the challenge at the moment. He gave it his all through a broken force, a torn ligament in his shooting thumb, and all of the adversity. He did his best. He just needed more help.

With the injury to Green, the Sixers went to Thybulle early and he made a defensive impact right away. He broke up a lob pass to Butler and he also had a block on that end as well. He also cut back door for an And-1 dunk which is always the tell-tale sign for an active game for him on offense. However, there were also so many other offensive opportunities where he was open for looks and he just couldn’t finish.

Give Niang credit for battling through his own knee injury, but it does continue to look like he’s being hampered by it. He is already not the fastest guy out there, but add in this knee injury and he looks slower than usual on the defensive end.

This was a solid Milton game in terms of being able to come in and use his size and length on the glass early. With Miami attacking the glass as much as they can, it makes a big difference when the guards can make some type of impact on the boards. He was the only Sixer perimeter player who was looking for his own offense late in this one and he gave the team some help.

Considering the pure importance of this game, this wasn’t a time to really sit Embiid at all. Reed got two minutes early, but was pulled quickly to get the MVP candidate back in there. He played the first 1:17 of the fourth quarter as the Heat pulled away and he committed a ton of mistakes in that stretch.

The Sixers also gave Korkmaz a look early and he did a good job of moving without the ball to free himself up for a layup. However, he missed an open triple and he then tried going 1-on-1 and he air-balled that shot. He didn’t get meaningful time in the second half.