Heat forward Jimmy Butler celebrates during Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against Philadelphia on Tuesday in Miami. The Heat won 120-85 to take a 3-2 series lead. Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press
MIAMI — Jimmy Butler scored 23 points, Max Strus added 19 points and 10 rebounds, and the Miami Heat moved one win away from a trip to the Eastern Conference finals by topping the Philadelphia 76ers 120-85 on Tuesday night.
Victor Oladipo scored 13 for Miami, which got 12 from Bam Adebayo and 10 apiece from Tyler Herro and P.J. Tucker. The top-seeded Heat now lead the East semifinal series 3-2, and improved to an NBA-best 6-0 at home in these playoffs.
Joel Embiid scored 17 points for fourth-seeded Philadelphia, which got 14 from James Harden and 12 from Tobias Harris. The 76ers were down by 15 going into the fourth, then gave up 12 consecutive points to open the final quarter.
Game 6 is in Philadelphia on Thursday.
It was a tough night all the way around for the Sixers, especially for Embiid – their best player, already wearing a mask to protect a facial fracture and dealing with a significant thumb injury.
Embiid got shaken up in the first quarter when he tried to dive into some baseline seats while attempting to save a loose ball. He doubled over shortly afterward, grabbing at his back.
He remained in the game after that scare.
He also remained in the game after the next scare, which was much worse.
It came midway through the second quarter, when Miami’s Dewayne Dedmon missed a shot and Embiid grabbed the rebound. Dedmon, flailing for the ball, made contact with it – and wound up pushing it back into Embiid’s mask-covered face.
Embiid lost the ball and went down in pain, covering his face with both hands. Oladipo picked up the ball and scored to make it 42-31, but Embiid writhing was of much greater importance to the 76ers than giving up two points. Embiid remained down for several moments, before making his way back to the Philadelphia bench and getting tended to by doctors.
And now Philadelphia must beat the Heat in Games 6 and 7, with almost all the odds pointing to how difficult that task will be.
NOTES
GRIZZLIES: Memphis All-Star guard Ja Morant is doubtful for the remainder of the NBA postseason after an MRI and further evaluation revealed a bone bruise in his injured right knee.
The Grizzlies said they expect him to make a full recovery.
The NBA’s most improved player had been averaging 38.3 points a game in the Grizzlies’ Western Conference semifinal matchup with Golden State. But he sat out the 101-98 Game 4 loss on Monday with what the team said at the time was a sore knee.
The Grizzlies trail 3-1 in the series with Game 5 set for Wednesday night in Memphis.
Morant reinjured his knee on a play with the Warriors’ Jordan Poole that the teams debated during the Grizzlies’ 142-112 loss in Game 3.
TRAIL BLAZERS: Joe Cronin was named Portland’s general manager after serving in the interim role since December.
Cronin became interim GM after Neil Olshey was fired following an investigation into allegations of a toxic workplace environment.
Cronin has since been reshaping the Blazers’ roster, making several trades before the February deadline that put the team under the luxury tax threshold and freed up cap space. In the most significant move, guard CJ McCollum was traded to New Orleans, ending his lengthy run as Damian Lillard’s partner in Portland’s backcourt.
SPURS: Owner Peter J. Holt told fans not to worry: The team isn’t going anywhere.
A plan to have the Spurs play a few games in Austin, 80 miles away, had raised some local anxiety that the owners may be considering moving the team.
“I want to reassure you that the Spurs are in San Antonio to stay,” Holt said in a message posted on Twitter.
“My family became involved in the Spurs in the 90s because there was a real threat the team would be moved. We would not let that happen then and we will not let that happen now,” Holt said. “There are no Spurs without the city and the people of San Antonio.”
Bexar County owns AT&T Stadium where the Spurs play home games. County commissioners last week raised concerns about the team’s request to play two homes games in Austin’s new Moody Center, which will host University of Texas games. A team official told the commission the franchise is simply trying to expand its brand.
Austin’s soaring popularity and an influx of large corporations who could be major team sponsors have made San Antonio officials nervous that Texas’ capital city could lure away the Spurs. San Antonio was stung a few years ago when Major League Soccer opted to expand in Austin instead of the Alamo City.
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