Heat blow out 76ers in Game 5 to take back series lead
The Miami Heat are a win away from the Eastern Conference Finals after a decisive 120-85 victory in Game 5 of a series against the Philadelphia 76ers. Miami now leads 3-2 and only needs to avoid back-to-back losses to advance.
Miami raced out to a double-digit lead in the first quarter and never let up Tuesday night. Jimmy Butler led the way for the Heat with 23 points, six assists and nine rebounds. The team's entire starting lineup finished with double figures.
The Heat won the first two games of the series at home, but lost both games in Philadelphia. The 76ers were without Joel Embiid for the first two games after he suffered a concussion and a broken orbital in the team's final win against the Toronto Raptors in the first round.
Embiid suffered a scare during the first half Tuesday when he was hit in the face with the basketball.
Embiid stayed in the game and finished with a team-high 17 points.
The series will now return to Philadelphia for Game 6, which is scheduled for Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.
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