Yahoo Finance Thrilling Heat-Sixers game sees improbable end to regulation
As far as finishes go for an NBA game, the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers had a doozy of an ending to regulation on Saturday.
With the Heat trailing by two in the final seconds, the Sixers’ Tobias Harris missed a dunk that would have probably iced the game. But the rebound was tapped out into the hands of Joel Embiid, meaning the Heat would have to foul. Embiid, however, lost the ball.
And then Tyler Herro took it, dribbled to the 3-point line and gave Miami the lead. Here is the wild sequence:
Crazy sequence in Heat-Sixers...Tobias Harris misses dunk, Embiid turns it over and Tyler Herro hits 3...WOW pic.twitter.com/HePglzHaEH
— gifdsports (@gifdsports) December 29, 2019
But that wasn’t all. With Josh Richardson at the free throw line and a second to go, Richardson missed the second foul shot on purpose. It barely grazed the rim, allowing Ben Simmons to sprint in from beyond the 3-point line for the game-tying putback.
The basket was initially waved off, but upon review, the ball did touch the rim.
Josh Richardson purposely missed the free throw and Ben Simmons tipped it in to tie the game.
Refs originally ruled it off, then counted the bucket after the review. Wild. pic.twitter.com/VHIGRs0A1T— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 29, 2019
The Heat ultimately wound up winning, 117-116 in overtime.
It was a thrilling game that deserved a thrilling end. The Heat and Sixers have a budding rivalry, with both teams among the best in the East and former Sixers guard Jimmy Butler now leading the Heat.
The rest of the nation probably won’t catch on to how intense this growing Heat/Sixers rivalry is until playoff time. Epic game between the two tonight. Now headed to OT. That final minute of regulation was on drugs.
— Mike Ryan Ruiz (@MichaelRyanRuiz) December 29, 2019
Surely, nobody would mind a playoff series between these two teams.
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