Heat Search For Third Straight Win As Road Trip Hits Philly
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PHILADELPHIA (CBSMiami/SportsDirect) – A road trip through Philly isn't the automatic win that it has been in recent years.
The Philadelphia 76ers went three years between wins in October or November but are on a roll of late.
The 76ers, who snapped a 44-game losing streak in October/November with an overtime triumph over the Indiana Pacers at home on Nov. 11, will try to earn their fourth straight home win when they host the Miami Heat on Monday.
Joel Embiid is turning around the culture in Philadelphia by offering the fans some hope for the first time in years and posted a season-high 26 points in a 120-105 win over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday.
The rookie center is still sitting out back-to-backs and remains on a minutes restriction after missing the last two seasons due to foot surgeries but needed only 20 minutes to make his mark against the Suns while going 9-of-14 from the field, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range.
Embiid will try to match those numbers against Heat center Hassan Whiteside, who is enjoying a string of six straight double-doubles and totaled 10 blocks in the last two games - both wins.
Miami broke out of an offensive slump with a 114-111 win at Washington on Saturday, snapping a string of seven straight games failing to reach 100 points.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Sun (Miami), CSN Philadelphia
ABOUT THE HEAT (4-8): Whiteside totaled 18 points and 18 rebounds in Saturday's win and is averaging 19.3 boards in the last four contests to bump his NBA-best season average to 16.2.
Miami's two-game winning streak coincides with the return of point guard Goran Dragic, who sat out for three games with an ankle injury and watched his team average 90.3 points in losses to the Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs and Atlanta Hawks.
The Heat averaged 105 points in the last two games as Dragic totaled 38 points and 10 assists.
ABOUT THE 76ERS (3-10): Philadelphia struggles to find consistent production from its backcourt to match Embiid but is beginning to get points from reserve guard Nik Stauskas.
The third-year shooting guard from Michigan averaged 6.4 points in the first seven games but put up 14.5 points on 66 percent shooting in the last six contests while scoring in double figures in each game.
Stauskas went 8-of-9 from the floor, including 5-of-6 from 3-point range, en route to a season-high 21 points in Saturday's win over Phoenix, which pulled the 76ers to 3-3 in the last six games.
BUZZER BEATERS
- 76ers SF Robert Covington is 4-of-31 from the field, including 2-of-22 from 3-point range, in the last four contests.
- Heat G Dion Waiters is 2-of-14 from 3-point range in the last three games.
- Miami took the last five in the series.
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