Tyler Herro, Heat overwhelm sliding 76ers

Tyler Herro scored 30 points and Alec Burks chipped in 20 as the Miami Heat smashed the host Philadelphia 76ers 118-95 on Saturday in the opener of a three-game road trip.

Long-range shooting fueled the fourth straight win for Miami (33-41), which knocked down 20 of 43 shots (46.5 percent) from beyond the arc. Burks made six 3-pointers, while Herro drained five and Haywood Highsmith knocked down three 3-pointers off the bench en route to 13 points.

Kel'el Ware also had a productive night for the Heat, shooting 6 of 6 from the field for 13 points to go along with 14 rebounds.

Philadelphia (23-51) absorbed its seventh straight defeat despite 19 points and 10 assists from Jared Butler. Justin Edwards pitched in with 17 points for the Sixers, while Adem Bona contributed 16 points and 10 boards.

Herro scored 10 first-quarter points as the Heat led 34-29 after 12 minutes. He added five more points in the first three minutes of the second quarter, helping the visitors extend their lead to double figures for the first time.

The Sixers got within 54-52 with about three minutes left in the half, but Miami built its lead back to 62-53 at the break.

The Heat outscored the Sixers 34-22 in the third quarter to create some significant separation. Burks hit four 3-pointers in the session as he and Bam Adebayo (nine points) nearly matched Philadelphia's point total in the period.

Adebayo finished with 16 points on the night.

With under five minutes left in the third, Miami held a modest 72-69 lead before ending the quarter on a 24-6 run.

Highsmith began that surge with a 3-pointer before Burks made two of his own to create an 83-71 margin. Adebayo's 3-pointer with about a minute left pushed the lead to 93-75, and then Burks swished one at the buzzer as the Heat cruised into the fourth quarter with a 21-point advantage.

Herro made a couple of 3-pointers and another bucket in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter as Miami waltzed to the finish line.

--Field Level Media