76ers take 3-1 lead on Heat after a wild, bumpy Game 4

This was the game of the playoffs so far. In the end, the 76ers had juuuust a little bit too much for Miami, winning, 106-102.

The Philadelphia 76ers are on the verge of advancing to the second round after a gutsy, physical 106-102 Game 4 victory over the Miami Heat.

Hoo boy, this game had a lot. There was an altercation between Ben Simmons and James Johnson. There were several other skirmishes, including Joel Embiid picking Justise Winslow up and then stepping over him. There was a hilarious moment where Embiid tried to sneak into the game without his mask. And there was some vintage Dwyane Wade, combined with 26 Philly turnovers.

Still, the 76ers persevered. Simmons posted his first playoff triple double with 17 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists, including this emphatic slam in the final minute.

J.J. Redick had 24 points, including a critical jumper with 30 seconds left to put Miami away. Joel Embiid was a mess offensively — 2-11 shooting with eight turnovers -- but swatted five Miami shots and deterred many others. Ersan Ilyasova came in late in the third quarter and turned the game around, bugging Miami with tough shots and hustle to turn a double-digit deficit into a seven-point lead.

That was all enough to overcome 25 from Wade, 20 from Goran Dragic, and Miami’s rough-and-tumble tactics. The 76ers are now up 3-1 in the series and can clinch at home in Game 5 on Tuesday.

Here’s how it happened.

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76ers 106, Heat 102, final score

Not an ideal ending for Miami. Dwyane Wade drove and got fouled, but missed the second free throw. J.J. Redick got the rebound, hit both free throws, and Miami couldn’t score from there.

What a game.

76ers 104, Heat 101, 30.1 seconds left in fourth quarter

On the one hand, DWYANE WADE IS CLUTCH.

On the other hand, Miami AGAIN suffered a costly defensive breakdown and left J.J. Redick wide open for a long two. How does this happen twice?

76ers 102, Heat 99, 58.2 seconds left in fourth quarter

I’M SORRY WHAT???

Guess he doesn’t need a jumper.

76ers 100, Heat 99, 1:45 left in fourth quarter

Not over yet! Dwyane Wade somehow squeezed between J.J. Redick and Joel Embiid for a three-point play, and this is still a ballgame.

Then, Embiid turned it over and Wade scored again. Reminder: the 76ers are not a good clutch team.

76ers 98, Heat 92, 3:20 left in fourth quarter

It’s not comfortable wearing a mask. Joel Embiid’s solution: sneak out of the huddle without it and see if anyone noticed.

Unfortunately, Brett Brown noticed and had Robert Covington sprint it out to Embiid before he took free throws.

A couple plays later, Embiid chased down Goran Dragic for a massive block ... all without readjusting the mask to go over his face. This is amazing.

76ers 94, Heat 87, 5:10 left in fourth quarter

The 76ers have stopped throwing the ball to the other team, and thus the game has changed. Ben Simmons has a triple double already, punctuated by whatever the heck this fadeaway left-hander was.

Miami has scored four points in the fourth quarter. Turns out the Heat can’t score after all when the 76ers don’t throw them the ball!

Heat 83, 76ers 83, 10:07 left in fourth quarter

Uh oh, Heat. Uhhhhhhh ohhhhhh.

Heat 83, 76ers 79, end third quarter

Here is Joel Embiid pulling Justise Winslow off his own teammate.

Here’s how that happened.

For real: Ersan Ilyasova has been a major spark. He got that three-point play, nailed an actual three-pointer, and took a charge in the final minutes of the quarter. When the game gets rough, Ilyasova thrives.

Philly has ended as many possessions with a turnover (24) as a missed shot, and is somehow only down four. Uh oh.

Heat 79, 76ers 71, 3:44 left in third quarter

Here’s a stat for you:

• Sixers possessions ending in missed shots: 23
• Sixers possessions ending in turnovers: 23

And yet, it’s only an eight-point game. Ben Simmons is good.

Heat 76, 76ers 67, 5:29 left in third quarter

Hassan Whiteside is ... alive?

Heat 72, 76ers 62, 7:18 left in third quarter

Make that 21 turnovers for the 76ers in 29 minutes.

Goran Dragic is good.

Heat 68, 76ers 70, 9:07 left in third quarter

You thought that maybe Philly would stop giving Miami the ball, didn’t you? Nope. After committing 17 turnovers in the first half, the 76ers already have three in the first three minutes of the third quarter. That includes a pick-six by Josh Richardson, who is playing despite suffering a shoulder contusion in the first half.

Heat 61, 76ers 56, halftime

What a ridiculous game. What a ridiculous series. It feels like these two teams are playing bumper cars instead of basketball.

Scroll down to read more about that weird fight in the middle, but a lot of other stuff happened, too. For example: James Johnson pulling a Draymond Green on Dario Saric.

Or Goran Dragic doing ... whatever this is to Joel Embiid.

The Heat have clearly tried to get physical with Philly, like they did in Game 2. So far, it’s worked. The 76ers have 17 turnovers, and Ben Simmons has three fouls.

And yet, it’s only a five-point game. There are many chapters still left to play out in this game, and this stat looms large.

(By the way, Josh Richardson is reportedly OK. That’s great to see).

Heat 51, 76ers 46, 4:27 left in second quarter

You knew it was only a matter of time before another scuffle broke out. This one was pretty significant.

To review:

• Robert Covington delivered a hard foul on Goran Dragic.
• James Johnson rushed in to shove Covington for attacking his teammate.
• Ben Simmons ran in at Johnson to protect his teammate.

And they kept going.

As our Tyler Tynes wrote: James Johnson is not a dude to mess with.

Behind the play, Josh Richardson ran into the locker room holding his shoulder after colliding with Joel Embiid. His status is unclear.

Justise Winslow also had this happen to him.

He’s getting stitches and will return.

All in all, double technicals on Simmons and Johnson, plus a personal foul on Covington. This. Series.

Heat 41, 76ers 40, 6:53 left in second quarter

Was Hassan Whiteside mimicking Joel Embiid’s celebration from earlier in the game? (Scroll down for that one).

If so, it’s very subtle.

Heat 39, 76ers 38, 7:55 left in second quarter

It’s not quite Game 2 level, but Dwyane Wade is cooking against Marco Belinelli. Wade has nine points already and Miami has surged back into the lead.

Wade also missed a dunk because he’s, ahem, experienced. But we’ll cut him some slack.

76ers 26, Heat 26, end first quarter

This game is as physical and bumpy as you’d expect. Team accounts are celebrating plays like Kelly Olynyk taking a charge.

The 76ers have flown up the court for a bunch of transition buckets, but Miami ended the quarter strong thanks to Dwyane Wade and rookie Bam Adebayo.

Adebayo also drew the second foul on Joel Embiid, which might be more important than anything else he’s done so far.

76ers 14, Heat 12, 6:57 left in first quarter

Is Joel Embiid playing the drums, or does this celebration more closely resemble one made infamous by Gilbert Arenas?

Let’s go with playing the drums.

This game is as fast and wild as Game 3, which worked out well for Philly. This sequence pretty much sums up the series.

Pregame

How’s this for an afternoon snack?

What would we consider this meal?

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The Philadelphia 76ers regained the upper hand in their first-round NBA playoff series against the Miami Heat, and there is no masking the main reason why, with Game 4 looming on Saturday afternoon in Miami (2:30 p.m., TNT).

Joel Embiid returned after missing 10 games with an orbital bone fracture in his eye, and he was pivotal in Philadelphia’s 128-108 win in Game 3 on Thursday night. Embiid scored 23 points, grabbed seven rebounds and had three blocks, and the Heat are in trouble per our Kristian Winfield:

The Heat have no answer for Embiid, and unless Erik Spoelstra concocts something out of thin air, Miami will be in trouble for Game 3. The Heat tried to be physical, and that didn’t work.

There’s no blueprint for what does. And that’s the scariest part.

Justise Winslow scored just 11 points in the first two games of this series, but poured in 18 in the first half of Game 3, helping Miami to a one-point halftime lead. Winslow scored just one point after the break in what was just a bad second half for the Heat, outscored 65-44 at home.

Miami pulled to within seven midway through the fourth quarter but Embiid scored seven straight points to essentially put the game away.

Heat vs. 76ers Game 4 info

Location: American Airlines Arena, Miami

Game time: 2:30 p.m. ET

TV: TNT

Announcers: Brian Anderson, Kevin McHale, and Rebecca Haarlow

Online streaming: Watch TNT