Heat lead the 76ers 51-47 after two quarters. The Heat have been shooting quite well from the field (50% FG%) but have struggled from the line (54%). The 76ers are shooting nearly as well at 43%. Dwyane Wade leads all scorers with 13 points and Thaddeus Young is pacing the 76ers with 11 points. Here are some other stats and observations at halftime of the Heat/76ers game:
- Philadelphia came in to the game 1st in the league in scoring defense at 85.9 points a game and you can tell why. Their perimeter defenders were physical, alert, and aggresive trying to force Dwyane Wade and Mario Chalmers out of their comfort zones.
- However, with Spencer Hawes out and Tonny Battie starting in his place, the Heat's game plan out the gate was to attack the basket like the last piece of cornbread on Thanksgiving.
- By my count, Dwyane Wade had at least 6 post-ups in the first half, most of which results in made shots. Despite the 76ers aggressiveness, once Wade gets the ball deep in the paint, he's been impossible to stop.
- The Heat got into the bonus with 6 minutes left in the half, but failed to capitalize with their recurring porous free-throw shooting.
- A good first-half showing for the point guards for the Heat, Chalmers and Norris Cole. They combined to shot 5-7 on 3pt field goals and finished the half with 17 combined points.
- The Heat bench has been outscored 26-10.
What to look for in the 2nd Half: LeBron James has been harassed by Thaddeus Young and Andre Iguodala. He finished the half with 9 points and only 2 assists. I would look for him to assert his game in the 2nd half and work his typical LBJ magic.