Best and worst from Sixers-Heat: Butler’s continued domination, Niang‘s shooting woes and more
Niang shot 0-for-6 from the field, all three-pointers, en route to being held scoreless for the second time this series. He had more fouls (two) than rebounds (one).
MIAMI — Here is my look at some of the best and worst performances from the 76ers’ 120-85 loss to the Miami Heat at FTX Arena in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Tuesday.
Best performance: Jimmy Butler gets this for the second straight game after finishing with a game-high 23 points to go with nine rebounds, six assists and a steal. The Heat forward was a game-best plus-36.
Worst performance: I had to give this to Georges Niang. The Sixers backup power forward shot 0-for-6 from the field - all three-pointers - en route to being held scoreless for the second time this series. He had more fouls (two) than rebounds (one) in 16 minutes, 29 seconds of action.
Best defensive performance: This goes to P.J. Tucker. The Heat power forward did another solid job of defending James Harden. Tucker made Harden work hard for everything as the primary defender. He also finished with one block and one steal.
Best statistic: This goes to the Sixers foul shooting. This perhaps the only thing the Sixers did well on Tuesday. They made 14 of 15 free throws for 93.3%.
Worst statistic: This goes to the Sixers three-point shooting. They shot 9 of 32 for 28.1%.
Worst of the worst: This goes to the Sixers effort. They came out flat and looked like a team going through the motions.