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Thaddeus Young, SF 37 MIN | 11-20 FG | 2-2 FT | 15 REB | 3 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 1 TO | 24 PTS | -4 He turned garbage into gold tonight. He also had five offensive rebounds and two putbacks. |  |
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Evan Turner, SF 38 MIN | 7-13 FG | 1-2 FT | 3 REB | 5 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 15 PTS | -7 The King started the game 7-of-9, but was limited to one field goal in the second half thanks to ET’s tough defense. Of course whenever LeBron put his head down and went into MVP mode, there was nothing Turner could do. But there’s really not much anybody can do in that situation. |  |
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Spencer Hawes, C 23 MIN | 2-5 FG | 2-2 FT | 5 REB | 2 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 6 PTS | -1 YOU BLEW IT! Not really. Spence went a little strong on his layup attempt in the final minute, spoiling a beautiful pass from Turner. It probably wouldn’t have mattered. |  |
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Jrue Holiday, PG 43 MIN | 9-18 FG | 0-2 FT | 7 REB | 7 AST | 3 STL | 1 BLK | 3 TO | 21 PTS | -3 For the first time in a couple weeks, he actually looked like an All-Star. Jrue scored ten points in the fourth quarter and his game-tying slam dunk with 1:20 remaining might have been the highlight of the Sixers’ frustrating season. | |
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Dorell Wright, SF 22 MIN | 5-12 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 2 AST | 3 STL | 1 BLK | 0 TO | 13 PTS | +4 He hit a clutch 3-pointer in the closing seconds to get the Sixers back within striking distance and finished with 13 points. Wright has averaged 14.7 ppg against his former team. |  |
By the Numbers
Thad Young is 50-of-72 from the field in his last five games.
Quote of the Game
“ It doesn’t matter if you win or lose, it’s what you do with your dancin’ shoes.”
― Vince Fontaine, Grease
Parting Shots
As well as the Sixers played, there wasn’t a moment in that fourth quarter where it felt like they were actually going to end the Heat’s winning streak. Still, an incredibly gutsy performance. Thad Young played out of his mind, Jrue Holiday took charge in the fourth, and ET did a fantastic job guarding LeBron in the second half.
It’s easy to forget that the Sixers, while never as good as their 10-6 start, were still playing like a borderline Eastern Conference playoff team before Thad went down. Did they rush him back? Possibly. But they didn’t really have a choice. He’s fully healthy now, and the Sixers are playing some of their best basketball of the season. Just in time to gain some ground in the race to the top of the bottom.
