Heat 97, 76ers 91
It took one game longer than they would have liked and it wasn‘t pretty, but the Miami Heat managed to punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference semifinals with a 97-91 victory over the visiting Philadelphia 76ers in Game 5 on Wednesday.
Dwyane Wade collected 26 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists and LeBron James added 16 points, 10 boards and eight helpers for the second-seeded Heat, who will take on the No. 3 seed Boston Celtics in the semifinals.
After squandering a six-point lead in the final 90 seconds of Game 4, Miami once again played as though it lacked a sense of urgency on Wednesday, shooting just 40 percent from the floor and letting another lead slip away.
The 76ers were down by eight, 86-78, when the Heat went cold from the floor, making their last field goal of the contest on Wade’s jumper with 5:11 remaining.
Philadelphia crept within a point twice in the final minute but Joel Anthony hit two free throws and Wade split a pair to keep Miami clear.
Elton Brand and Andre Iguodala scored 22 points apiece and Thaddeus Young added 13 for Philadelphia.