The Sixers built a lead as large as 17, but had to hang on for dear life to close out the Heat and win their second straight game Monday night.

Philadelphia held on to beat the Miami Heat Monday night 98-91.

Tyrese Maxey led the Sixers with 30 points, shooting 11-of-24 from the field along with eight rebounds and 10 assists. Kelly Oubre Jr. gave the Sixers 22 points and 11 rebounds, and Kyle Lowry had 16 points and four boards against his old squad.

Tobias Harris was once again out with a right ankle sprain, as was Miami’s Jimmy Butler with a right foot contusion.

With this win and the Pacers losing to the Cavaliers earlier this evening, the Sixers are back in the sixth seed of the Eastern Conference.

Here are some thoughts from the Center.

Tyrese Maxey: 30 points, 8 rebounds, 10 assists, 11-24 FG shooting

This was quite the opposite of his Christmas Day stinker. Maxey took no time to heat up in this one, torching the Miami defense with 17 points on 6-9 shooting in the opening period. His scoring didn’t remain that hot but his aggression and his comfort creating in the mid-range remained sizzling. He was also a pest on defense. His near-triple-double stat line speaks to his well-rounded, immense impact.

Heat player notes:

Bam Adebayo: 20 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 8-10 FG shooting

Adebayo was a force, simply put. On the boards, as a playmaker, as a one-on-one scorer, as a play finisher, he was tremendous. The big man even hit a pair of threes! His impact was diminished in the second half but, especially without his co-star, everything ran through him for Miami.

Kyle Lowry dove over the scorer's table while hustling for a loose ball 👀pic.twitter.com/7wgsCzr3BO

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 19, 2024

First Quarter

• It was an odd start for Mo Bamba, who began his night by knocking down a three at the top of the key. He stayed home perfectly to swat away a Terry Rozier layup attempt, and caused a deflection a few possessions later. He did have less success chasing around Adebayo, who made his first four shots of the evening.
• Maxey had it going on from the opening tip, scoring 17 in the first. Those points came on shots with a high degree of difficulty as well, like this up-and-under layup he was able to finish while drawing a foul.
• Maxey opened the quarter strong, and Oubre finished it that way. He had two blocks, including a weak side rotation to swat away a Thomas Bryant layup. He continues to be productive off drives too — he had a couple of back cuts for baskets and kicked one out which swung around to Maxey for a three. The Sixers led by eight after the opening quarter.

Second Quarter

• Miami opened up the quarter with some zone defense and it through the Sixers for a loop. They turned the ball over on their first two possessions, then proceeded to miss their next four shots. All the while, the Heat went on an 8-0 run to tie things up.
• It’s not weird that Paul Reed has a short leash, it just seems weird that he’s the only big in the rotation with a short leash. He was pulled early in the second in favor of some small-ball lineups with Nico Batum and KJ Martin, followed up by Bamba to finish the half.
• While Batum’s passing and shooting made him a viable option to sit in the middle of the zone, Martin’s limitations made it easy for that zone to defend. Martin had one point in the half, going 0-of-1 from the field and 1-of-2 from the line.
• Some chaotic plays in transition helped the Sixers go back in front. They found an open Oubre on the wing after Caleb Martin missed a fast break on the other end. Maxey threw a ridiculous full-court pass to Kyle Lowry who converted the and-1. Another three from Oubre in the corner gave them a two-point lead at the break.

Third Quarter

• The Sixers couldn’t ask for a better start to the second half as they opened it with a 12-2 run. On top of forcing a couple of turnovers, they made five of their first six shots from the field as another three from Bamba prompted a Heat timeout.
• It was impressive how the Sixers were getting their hands on everything during this stretch. Maxey was everywhere, fighting through a dribble handoff and standing up Terry Rozier. Even Bamba was able to swipe a pass at half court, then hit Oubre on a short roll.
• After going scoreless for two and a half minutes, the Sixers were able to shut down a Heat run with some more tough buckets from Maxey. Buddy Hield also got on the board, hitting his first two field goals of the game late in the quarter, as the Sixers held a 14-point lead after three.

Fourth Quarter

• Just like in the first half, it was tough sledding for the Sixers’ offense when Maxey went to the bench. They missed four of their five shots and turned it over twice. Miami took advantage of this by cutting the lead in half.
• The couple minutes after Maxey checked back in might have been even uglier. He immediately turned the ball over for a Patty Mills three. A couple more Heat threes and another turnover from Bamba gave them a fast break opportunity to tie the game. Their double-digit lead had evaporated in less than six minutes.
• With how hard defenses are zeroing in on Maxey late in games, he needs his supporting cast to get him over the finish line. Lowry once again made some big shots, knocking down a three to put them back up four. He also spun around Rozier and Adebayo for what felt like his first layup as a Sixer in the half court. Those ended up being enough for the night.
• The Sixers will hit the road again for one more trip out west. They’ll kick things off in Phoenix, taking on the Suns Wednesday night at 10 p.m. ET.

Assorted observations:

• Another missed Oubre dunk. Drink. At least he’s never discouraged and is able to make some kick-out reads here and there.
• It’s quite shocking how Ricky Council IV has seemingly fallen all the way out of the rotation. To not even see him get a little run in the third straight game is disheartening given how promising he looked and how the Sixers were down several wings tonight.

The 76ers will begin a road trip on Wednesday against the Phoenix Suns.