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The Philadelphia 76ers completed a two-game sweep of the short-handed Miami Heat in dominating fashion on Thursday. The 76ers' offense looked to be flowing nicely all night, holding a commanding lead for a majority of the game. The Miami Heat played without their three big stars: Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic, and were unable to slow down the scoring of the 76ers.
The Philadelphia 76ers were expected to win this game, but they did so in controlling fashion with the help of 20 three-pointers as a team. The 76ers were able to maintain the top spot in the Eastern conference, improving to 9-4 on the season and hoping to build on this small win streak moving forward.
Philadelphia 76ers rout Miami Heat with help from Ben Simmons' triple-double
Ben Simmons recorded his 30th career triple double on Thursday, becoming the third fastest player in NBA history to reach the mark. Ben Simmons finished the game with 10 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds, responding nicely after a rough showing in the first game of this two-game series.
The Philadelphia 76ers' leading scorer was Shake Milton, who exploded for a season-high 31 points off the bench. Milton shot an incredible 73 percent from the field on Thursday, including 3-of-4 from three point range.
Here's how Twitter reacted to the 76ers' big victory:
The Miami Heat struggled to keep possession of the basketball on Thursday, commiting 20 turnovers as a team. The Miami Heat's leading scorer was Duncan Robinson, who tallied 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting. The Heat will be hoping to get a rematch with the Philadelphia 76ers at full-strength, which could only take place if the Heat meet the 76ers in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Here's more reactions from Twitter on the 17-point Philadelphia win:
The Miami Heat fell to 4-6 with this loss and will be looking forward to the return of their star players as they prepare to make a playoff run in the East. The defending Eastern Conference champions have had an unusual week since learning of a player testing positive for COVID, but will be back to full-strength shortly. The Heat go on to play the Detroit Pistons on Saturday after an off day on Friday.
The Philadelphia 76ers have responded well after their struggles with COVID precautions and should feel very good about their progress as the season continues. The 76ers will have a break on Friday, then head on the road to face the surging Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.
