76ers drop to 0-14, blow late lead at Miami in 'very cruel loss'
MIAMI — For much of the night, Philadelphia was in control. The 76ers had their biggest lead of the season at one point, and still led by 11 midway through the fourth quarter.
And then ...
''A very, very cruel loss,'' 76ers coach Brett Brown said.
Even for a franchise that's known nothing but misery of late, this one stung more than most.
Philadelphia is still winless this season, after Dwyane Wade scored 27 points, Justise Winslow came up with a huge tip-in with 27 seconds left and Miami held the 76ers without a field goal for a critical 7-minute stretch of the fourth quarter on the way to a 96-91 win on Saturday night.
The 76ers are now 0-14 this season, with a losing streak of 24 games when factoring in the end of last season.
''We were in a position to get our first win and we just couldn't get into anything at the end of the game,'' Brown said. ''I give credit to a veteran Miami team. Defensively they were fantastic and we just had a hard time finding a shot. We were in a late clock a lot in the last 5 minutes and it's a part of cruel path that we are going to evidently have to take.''
Oh, they've been on that path for a while. But this step was particularly painful.
Hassan Whiteside finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and eight blocked shots for the Heat, who were down 17 at one point and still trailed 87-76 after a dunk by Nerlens Noel with 7:10 remaining. Miami outscored Philadelphia 19-2 to escape, and the 76ers, who started 0-17 last season, are now the owners of the ninth-worst start in NBA history as well.
''They're an NBA team,'' Wade said. ''They've got guys who can play basketball, so you take nothing from them. But they're not a better team than us, and not on your home floor.''
Isaiah Canaan scored 22 for Philadelphia, and Robert Covington finished with 21. Jahlil Okafor scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, while Noel finished with 10 points.
''When you're up 10, 15 and you feel like you're in control the whole game,'' Noel said, ''it hurts a little more.''
The Heat led for 4 minutes, 42 seconds in the first quarter and then spent the rest of the night playing uphill - that is, until 2:40 remained, when Wade set up Bosh for a game-tying 3-pointer from the top of the key, knotting the score at 89.
Gerald Green's free throws with 1:25 left put Miami up 91-89, the first Heat lead since it was 14-11 in the early going.
''You definitely have to give Philadelphia credit,'' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. ''They really came out and competed and played a very good basketball game. This is not how you, as a coach, design it. But I did like seeing the toughness that we had to reveal in the fourth quarter.''
TIP-INS
76ers: Philadelphia's 15-point halftime lead directly coincided with the 76ers having a 15-point edge in points off turnovers — 17-2 in the first 24 minutes. ... Noel had a highlight-reel basket for Philadelphia's first points of the night. He collected a steal near midcourt, took a couple dribbles and then whipped the ball around his back to avoid a steal attempt by Goran Dragic before finishing off a dunk.
Heat: Miami had 32 points at halftime with 17 from Wade and 15 from everyone else. ... Amare Stoudemire was back on the inactive list, one game after coming up with a 10-point first quarter that helped Miami beat Sacramento. Chris Andersen was the extra big in uniform again, but not in the rotation. ... Miami had 10 blocks by halftime, and still trailed by 15 at the break.
COVINGTON MAKES ONE
Covington missed his first 18 attempts from beyond the arc this season, then got one to fall with 5:10 left in the opening quarter. Entering the night, no one in the NBA had taken more than six 3s this season without a make. It actually ended a streak of 19 misses from deep by Covington — he missed his last try last season, also against Miami.
WADE MILESTONE
Wade continued moving up the scoring charts. He started the night No. 51 on the NBA's career list, and ended at No. 49 after passing Dale Ellis (19,004) and Reggie Theus (19,015). Wade now has 19,017 points.
UP NEXT
76ers: Visit Minnesota on Monday.
Heat: Host New York on Monday.
