Quentin Grimes and Lonnie Walker IV not enough in Miami as Sixers drop 12th in a row

Quentin Grimes and Lonnie Walker IV went off for the Sixers, but a late flurry from the Miami Heat sent Philadelphia to a 12th straight defeat. The tank rolls on.

Here's what I saw.

Likes

- I don't think much of Lonnie Walker IV as a dribbler, but I would be remiss to ignore some of the reads he's made as a pick-and-roll ball-handler recently. He most commonly looks for the pull-up jumper after snaking a ball screen or coming off a screen and re-screen. But there have been times his patience approaching the paint has opened up other windows of opportunity, Walker finding a big flashing to the rim or drawing two defenders and leaving the ball off for the open teammate inside.

- I don't know if it's always been there and I just didn't see it until this game, but Quentin Grimes' east-west speed is kind of ridiculous. He had an electric first step in the halfcourt, blowing by individual defenders for finishes at the basket. It also helped him in transition, Grimes going coast to coast for layups because no one stopped the ball. His shotmaking has been absurd at times, both on jumpers and at the rim. The jumpers feel a bit flukey just because it seems unlikely that he'll be able to sustain making difficult shots away from the rim. But the finishing at the hoop could be real. He's shot 69 percent at the rim since being traded to the Sixers, per Cleaning The Glass. That's a pretty good number. And it's a product of how forceful he is up close.

- Whether Marcus Bagley has staying power is anyone's best guess, but he's making the Sixers notice him. Rewarded with the start in this game, Bagley wasted no time doing the hustle work. He blew up a short roll play early in the game, running the floor for a score after creating the turnover. It feels like none of his work is easy. Bagley had to decide that he would not be denied, doing things like out-motoring everyone on second jumps to get the rebound and earn a foul on the put-back attempt.

- Most of the credit will go to Grimes for going on an absolute heater to bring the Sixers back into the game in the third quarter, but Adem Bona did a lot of the big boy work to make things happen. If you saw Grimes' primary defender sliding across the floor as he knifed into the paint, that was because Bona was absolutely nailing dudes with screens. Normally when a ball defender goes sprawling to the hardwoods, it's an offensive foul on the screener. Not in the third quarter. Bona held his stance through the screen, legally sending Heat players off the route of the ball. Bona also picked up his fair share of rebounds, ending Heat possessions and giving the Sixers additional plays.

- This one will be from the perspective of someone who understands that the organization wants to keep its first-round pick in this summer's draft. If there's one player you want out there to ensure that you don't win, it has to be Alex Reese. Can't shoot despite being billed as a stretch big. Can't guard in space or at the rim. As soon as he checked into the game in the fourth quarter, the Heat lined him up in isolation and enjoyed an all-you-can-eat menu at the cup. Philadelphia was outscored by 16 points in his five minutes, 27 seconds of play.

Dislikes

- On a human level, I do feel a bit bad for the likes of Bona and, in this game, Bagley because of their size disparities. After the losses to Milwaukee and Minnesota last week, Nick Nurse said that he hoped the experiences of playing against ultra-large frontcourts such as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez, Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid taught them the importance of hitting opposing bigs with their bodies first. That wisdom didn't resonate when they went to battle with Kel'el Ware for rebounds in Miami.

It was actually a fascinating commentary that unearthed a bit of Nurse's philosophy. Obviously rebounding is a pillar of winning, but Nurse doesn't seem to think size is the end-all-be-all. He thinks the battle on the glass can be evened out by being the first to get physical when the shot goes up. He hoped his young bigs were learning that the best rebounders don't just win with height, they win with physicality. There were instances in which he felt like his bigs had fine initial positioning, but got jarred away from the rebounding angle at the last moment because they weren't prepared for the physicality that those more veteran bigs knew to play with. That philosophy explains the Sixers' approach to these 10-day contracts late in the season.

Spare thoughts

- Aside from those preposterous Heat Culture uniforms, Miami consistently has some of the best jerseys in the sport. This color scheme rules:

brb after a quick break pic.twitter.com/vsDi8XakEI

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) April 8, 2025

The Sixers will visit the Washington Wizards on Wednesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m., Eastern time. You can watch the game on NBC Sports Philadelphia.