PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia 76ers were officially eliminated from playoff contention following a 118-95 loss to the Miami Heat. It was only a matter of time when considering the team's record and injuries, but it became a formality with the loss on Saturday.
The Heat knocked down 20 triples and out-rebounded the Sixers 47-37 thanks to 14 rebounds by rookie Kel'el Ware who had a big size advantage against Philadelphia's Guerschon Yabusele. Tyler Herro had 30 points and seven assists for Miami on the night.
Quentin Grimes had 15 points and four rebounds for the Sixers while Jared Butler had 19 points and 10 assists. Ricky Council IV had 13 points, four assists, and six rebounds, Adem Bona had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Justin Edwards added 17.
Here are the three biggest takeaways following the loss:
Adem Bona continues to grow
Bona's activity was impressive on Saturday. He was all over the place as he shot 8-for-9 from the floor and had three blocks. The amount of minutes he's getting combined with his work ethic and understanding of what is expected of him will help him so much down the stretch of the season. If he can continue to gain momentum, then the Sixers will be in a much better spot heading into the 2025-26 season. Bona will play some type of role for Philadelphia in the coming seasons.
Coach Nick Nurse said of Bona's opportunity:
Well, it’s important again. I thought he was playing very well that he tweaks an ankle and misses a good chunk of time, so now he’s back. I think they’re still working on that and rehabbing that a little bit, but hopefully he can be in all of the next, last eight games, then we can keep playing him 30 plus minutes. I thought he was really, really good tonight. I thought it was really an impactful part of the defense tonight, because when he wasn’t out there, again, the rim protection gets, well, it’s pretty nonexistent and it makes it tough because they start getting to the rim and getting layups and dunks and then you have to send extra bodies and they start getting open threes and all of that kind of stuff. So, I thought he was really good tonight, and I like it. Let’s see if he can keep it going and stay healthy, keep it going for these last eight.
Butler taking steps forward as a shooter
Butler was a perfect 4-for-4 from deep against the Heat and it's the third straight game where he has made at least three triples. It's obvious that he ...
