Heat get Jimmy Butler again, rally previous woeful 76ers

Jimmy Butler made a triumphant return from injury, and Tyler Herro scored 16 of his 18 points in a pivotal third quarter as the host Miami Heat rallied for a 106-89 victory over the slumping Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night.

Butler, after missing four straight games due to a sprained right ankle, scored a season-high 30 points to go with 10 rebounds and five assists.

The Heat trailed by 19 points in the second quarter before coming back to win in just its fifth home game of the season (2-3).

Philadelphia, which entered Monday tied Washington and Toronto for the fewest wins in the NBA (2-11), played its sixth straight game without point guard Tyrese Maxey, who has a strained right hamstring.

Rookie Jared McCain led Philadelphia with 20 points, and veteran Paul George added 18 points.

76ers center Joel Embiid, who played despite having been listed as questionable due to an illness, finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists in 31 minutes.

Miami played without Terry Rozier (right foot discomfort) and Jaime Jaquez Jr. (sprained right ankle).

The first quarter, which featured seven ties and six lead changes, ended with Philadelphia ahead 33-25.

George scored 12 points in the quarter as Philadelphia shot 54.2 percent from the floor. Butler scored 11 points for the Heat, who shot just 43.5 percent, including 1-for-11 on 3-pointers.

Philadelphia made its first six shots in the second quarter to stretch its lead to 46-27 before the Heat scored 24 of the game’s next 29 points to close within two. Butler had eight points in the second quarter, while George was kept scoreless as Miami entered halftime down 56-53.

The Heat took their first lead since the opening quarter on Duncan Robinson’s 3-pointer that made it 65-62 with 7:15 left in the third. Herro shot 5-of-6 from the floor and hit two 3-pointers as Miami closed the quarter on a 15-3 run and carried an 88-72 lead into the fourth.

The Sixers, who entered Monday last in the league in scoring, never threatened from there, managing just 17 points in the final period en route to their fourth straight loss.

–Field Level Media