Multiple Sixers discuss struggles against Heat zone in road loss
Multiple members of the Philadelphia 76ers discuss struggles against the zone defense the Miami Heat employ in the loss on Monday.
MIAMI -- The Miami Heat are one of the tougher teams to score on in the league due to the exotic and junk defensive schemes they will throw at a team to try and slow them down. The Heat will use a 3-1-1 zone, a matchup zone, and other different types of zone defenses and they were effective in a 119-109 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday. The Sixers did a good job at times of finding a way into the zone and kicking out to open shooters, but Philadelphia shot just 41.
7% from the floor and 12-for-38 from deep on the night. There were struggles on the offensive end at times and the Heat took advantage on their way to earning a must-win for themselves while also earning the tiebreaker over the Sixers. "They just run zone the whole game," Tyrese Maxey said after the loss.
"You know what I'm saying? It’s a good zone. They do a good job of it.
When we penetrate it and kick and get open shots, it's really good for us, but sometimes we get stagnant, pass the ball around the arc, and we gotta do a better job just getting cracking the paint, getting shot for each other. " To Maxey's point, the Sixers had some good moments when they were able to drive and kick. They scored 34 points in the opening quarter, but then had struggles the rest of the way.