Heat winning streak ends with loss to Sixers
PHILADELPHIA -- Robert Covington, Nerlens Noel and Dario Saric scored 19 points each as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Miami Heat 117-109 on Saturday night, snapping Miami's 13-game winning streak.
Ersan Ilyasova and Gerald Henderson contributed 14 each for Philadelphia, which won its second straight.
Goran Dragic poured in 30 points to pace the Heat, whose winning streak was the longest in the NBA this season. It was also the longest streak in league history by a team under .500 throughout the entire run.
James Johnson matched his day-old season high of 26 for Miami, Tyler Johnson added 17 and Wayne Ellington scored 16.
Hassan Whiteside collected 12 points and 19 rebounds for the Heat.
Philadelphia led throughout the second half, and was up 110-97 with 3:04 left in the game. The Heat then reeled off nine of the next 10 points, the last of those on Dragic's layup with 35.4 seconds left, to cut the gap to 111-106.
Noel dunked off an alley-oop from guard T.J. McConnell, who finished with 11 points and 10 assists.
Henderson added four free throws in the final 21.4 seconds.
The Sixers were without rookie center Joel Embiid, their top scorer and rebounder, for the ninth straight game and the 12th time in 13. General manager Bryan Colangelo said before the game that Embiid suffered a bone bruise and "very minor meniscal tear" of the left knee when he landed awkwardly after a dunk against Portland on Jan. 20.
The Sixers had previously called Embiid's injury a contusion.
Colangelo said it is "more than likely we'll hold him back until the end of the All-Star break," meaning Embiid will probably miss Monday's game in Charlotte and Wednesday's game in Boston, as well as his planned appearances in the Rising Stars Challenge and the skills competition on All-Star weekend in New Orleans.
Ilyasova scored 12 points and Noel added 10 in the first half, which ended with the Sixers holding a 54-48 lead.
Dragic had 13 and Whiteside collected 10 points and 11 rebounds for Miami.
Noel contributed a three-point play, a steal and dunk and a block of Whiteside in the opening minutes of the third quarter, when Philadelphia moved to a 59-48 lead.
The Sixers were still up by 11 in the closing seconds of the period, 84-73, but James Johnson buried a 3-pointer at the buzzer to cut the gap to eight entering the final period.
NOTES: Philadelphia general manager Bryan Colangelo said it was "a little bit" disappointing that injured C Joel Embiid elected to dance onstage at Friday's Meek Mill concert, "given the circumstances and given the potential reaction." Sixers coach Brett Brown said he had a "private conversation" with Embiid about his actions at the concert and elected not to share the specifics. ... Heat G Dion Waiters missed his third straight game with a sprained left ankle. ... The Sixers recalled G Chasson Randle from Delaware of the NBA Development League.