NBA Playoffs | 76ers-Heat, Warriors-Spurs

BEN Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers suffered their first loss in over a month, and the 21-year-old Aussie could hardly believe it.

Ben Simmons is looking to put the 76ers up 2-0.

• Ben shattered after Sixers loss
• D-Wade’s furious flashback
• Simmons’ playoff puzzle

Live: NBA playoffs

Follow our live coverage of today’s NBA playoff games between the 76ers-Heat and Warriors-Spurs.

THE Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs faced critical game twos in their respective playoff series against Philadelphia and Golden State on Tuesday.

The Heat got the job done to level their series with the 76ers at 1-1, before the Spurs attempted to follow suit.

4.15pm

Sixers downed by Heat in Playoff thriller

It was the Sixers’ first loss in a month.

The Philadelphia 76ers suffered their first loss in more than a month and Ben Simmons was not happy about it.

“I hate this feeling,” the 21-year-old Australian told reporters in the 76ers’ locker room after the 17-game win streak was snapped.

The Miami Heat aggressively went after Simmons and his 76ers teammates on Monday in Philadelphia to take game two of the NBA playoff series 113-103. It was a turnaround from the 27-point shellacking the 76ers gave the Heat in game one on Saturday when Simmons was given space to run the floor and deliver precision passes to his long-range shooters JJ Redick, Dario Saric, Ersan Ilyasova and Marco Belinelli.

The Heat halted that in game two by sending a rotation of defenders to get in Simmons’ face and harass his shooters.

The strategy rattled the 76ers, particularly in the second quarter when they scored just 13 points to the Heat’s 34.

“I thought the physicality of the game, I give them credit,” 76ers coach Brett Brown said.

“They were bending us backwards.” The 76ers were down 16 points late in the fourth quarter, but with Simmons, Saric, Ilyasova and Belinelli finding the basket they cut the Heat’s lead to two with four minutes to go.

Heat veteran Dwyane Wade came off the bench, steadied his squad and hit clutch baskets.

Simmons flirted with another triple-double with 24 points, eight assists and eight rebounds.

The 36-year-old Wade top-scored with 28 points and was impressed with the 21-year-old from Melbourne.

“That kid is not even a kid,” Wade said. “He’s a basketball player, man. He’s great.

“He does so many different things for his team.” Game three is on Thursday in Miami.

In Oakland, Australia’s Patty Mills scored 21 points but it was not enough as the San Antonio Spurs fell again to the reigning champion Golden State Warriors. The Warriors won 116-101 at Oracle Arena to take a 2-0 lead in the series with Kevin Durant leading the way with 32 points.

The Spurs took it to the Warriors early and led 53-47 at half-time. “I think in the second-half we matched their defensive intensity,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.

Mills’ 21 points was a personal playoff record and a return to form after the struggles he suffered in game one on Saturday.

Mills was again given the difficult defensive task of guarding the taller Klay Thompson, who had 31 points including connecting on five of his eight three- point attempts.

LaMarcus Aldridge was the best for the Spurs with 34 points and 12 rebounds. Game three is in San Antonio on Thursday.

— with AAP

2.30pm

Spurs hanging tough with Warriors

After being flattened in game one, San Antonio has been a much sterner test in game two.

The Spurs held a slight 25-23 edge at quarter time before extending it to 53-47 at the half.

But the Warriors responded with a 33-22 third quarter to take a 80-75 lead.

After just 11 points in game one, LaMarcus Aldridge has 28 to lead San Antonio.

Kevin Durant has matched him with 28 for the Warriors.

1.15pm

Embiid responds to game two defeat

👀 pic.twitter.com/DqCxS80Y6W

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 17, 2018

Joel Embiid has made his frustrations about being kept on the sidelines felt in the strongest way.

The 76ers centre missed his ninth game in a row after suffering a facial injury. He clearly feels like he’s ready to return.

“He just wants to play basketball, he wants to be with his team, he wants to play in front of the fans and he wants to see this through ... I respect his frustration, it’s borne out of competitiveness,” 76ers coach Brett Brown said.

1pm

D-Wade’s furious flashback

Dwyane Wade hit plenty of shots with his hands in his face. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Dwyane Wade snuffed out one 76ers’ rally by popping a 16-foot fadeaway with the shot clock ticking down. Wade made a half-hearted attempt at reaching his hand out toward a fallen defender before he scooted on his way.

Wade was up, the Sixers were down and suddenly, we have a series.

The future Hall of Famer turned in a vintage performance, scoring 28 points to end the 76ers’ 17-game winning streak and lead the Miami Heat to a 113-103 Game 2 win over Philadelphia and even the first-round playoff series.

“I saw moments,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “That’s what defines Dwyane Wade.”

The 36-year-old flashed the form of a three-team NBA champion with the Heat, not the journeyman who bounced around the last two seasons with forgettable stints in Chicago and Cleveland.

Wade made 11 of 17 shots and put on a show in the second quarter and put it away in the fourth.

“He can settle the group with his experience, his championship experience,” Spoelstra said.

He. Does. This. This ain't "vintage" & he didnt "turn back the clock"... @DwyaneWade BEEN doing this & he CONTINUES to do this. #HeatNation

— Gabrielle Union (@itsgabrielleu) April 17, 2018

Now come on home baby, I got somethin' for ya #GrownASF

— Gabrielle Union (@itsgabrielleu) April 17, 2018

The Sixers badly needed injured All-Star centre Joel Embiid to settle them. The Sixers nearly pulled off an epic comeback and rallied from 16 down to just two points late in the fourth.

Philly fans were going wild and suddenly the home-court edge that had made the Sixers unbeatable for a month seemed like it would perk the team back up for one more notch on the winning streak.

Wade buried two big buckets down the stretch that pushed back the Sixers and tied the series as it shifts to Miami for Game 3 on Thursday.

Wade’s play resembled his glory days at times and he carried the Heat in a sensational second quarter that was the difference. He pump-faked his way to 15 points in the quarter — impressive enough, even more so that he outscored the potent Sixers by two points.

Wade made his first seven shots of the game and passed Larry Bird for 10th on the NBA’s career postseason scoring list.

After a Game 1 victory where they couldn’t miss, the Sixers couldn’t make a big bucket in the first half. The Sixers made a team playoff-record 18 3s in Game 1 and missed a whopping 16 of 18 3s in the first half. Robert Covington missed all five and Dario Saric was 0 for 4. The Sixers made four baskets and scored 13 points in the quarter.

Ben Simmons looks for Dario Saric.

The Heat slowed the game down — exactly the kind of style where the Sixers needed Embiid in the middle — and used a collective of defenders on Ben Simmons that rattled the rookie point guard early.

The passing-and-pushing offence that got the Sixers to the No. 3 seed in the East failed them for the first time since early March.

But there was life left in the fourth.

Saric was fouled by Wade and sank both from the line to make it 91-82 and he followed with a 3 the next time down that sent the crowd into a frenzy. Saric broke up a pass on defence that led to a Simmons dunk and suddenly 18 straight wins was within reach.

Ersan Ilyasova made a tip shot to close to 98-96.

Wade contributed with baskets, assists and free throws over the final 4 minutes to close out the win.

Simmons led the Sixers with 24 points and Saric had 23. “I hate this feeling but maybe it’s a good reminder for everybody for next game to lock in,” Simmons said.

— AP

12.45pm

Simmons’ first playoff puzzle

Ben Simmons has been presented with his first playoff puzzle after the Miami Heat changed up its approach to turn the tables on Philadelphia in a 113-103 game two win.

The Heat often sagged off the young Aussie point guard, who doesn’t pose a shooting threat, in game one — but it allowed Simmons to see passing lanes to all his teammates and deliver 14 assists in a 130-103 win.

Before game two, several NBA legends — including Isiah Thomas and Charles Barkley — encouraged the Heat to step up on Simmons.

Force him to turn his back to protect the ball and limit his vision, Thomas said. Make him a scorer, added Barkley, even if his point total jumps from the 17 he had in game one to around 25.

Miami appeared to agree with the thought process. Heat guard Justice Winslow, before getting into foul trouble, often applied full court pressure to Simmons as he brought the ball up the court during the first half.

Simmons responded by attempting to play faster and drive more often and, as Barkley predicted, his scoring lifted as he finished with 24 points.

Ben Simmons shoots under heavy pressure from Josh Richardson.

But his assist total was only eight and the Heat held a double-digit lead for most of the night after blowing open the game with a 34-13 second term.

Of course it’s hard to pile up assists when your teammates miss shots — and more than a couple of the 28 three-pointers Philly bricked could have been Simmons’ dimes.

After hitting 18/28 triples in game one, the 76ers connected on just 7/35 in game two.

Originally published as NBA Playoffs | 76ers-Heat, Warriors-Spurs