The 76ers (52-30) regained home-court advantage in this series with a 128-108 victory Thursday night in Game 3, a contest closer than the final score indicates. All-Star center Joel Embiid had 23 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals in his career postseason debut after also missing the final eight regular-season games and first two matchups of this series due to a fractured orbital bone.
Ben Simmons added 19 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists as Philadelphia made 18 3-pointers in a game for the second time in this series. He scored four points in a 9-1 burst to start the fourth quarter as the 76ers grabbed a ten-point lead and led by at least five thereafter.
Marco Belinelli and Dario Saric each made four 3-pointers, and the 76ers got an unexpected contribution from the perimeter by Embiid, who sank three of four from beyond the arc.
Goran Dragic had 23 points and eight assists without a turnover while Justise Winslow added all 19 of his points off the bench in the first half before finishing with ten rebounds. The Heat (44-38) made 16 3-pointers of their own in 33 attempts but failed to stop the 76ers with any consistency defensively as Philadelphia shot 50.6 percent.
Veteran guard Dwyane Wade failed to follow up his 28-point effort in Miami's Game 2 victory as he was held to eight points and five assists while making just two of ten shots in 25 minutes off the bench.
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