The Sixers shook off continued third-quarter nightmares and beat the Heat on Thursday night. They earned a 124-117 victory at Xfinity Mobile Arena, moving to 33-26 on the season and knotting up their season series with Miami at 1-1. The Heat now sit at 31-29.  Tyrese Maxey had 28 points and 1 1 assists. Joel Embiid tallied 26 points and 11 rebounds. Kelly Oubre Jr. posted 21 points and VJ Edgecombe added 19. All-Star Heat big man Bam Adebayo had 29 points and 14 boards. Tyler Herro recorded 25 points and seven assists. The one Sixer sidelined by injury was Johni Broome. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said pregame that Broome is set to undergo surgery on his right knee lateral meniscus tear this weekend. While Broome has not officially been ruled out for the season, Nurse indicated he may miss the rest of his rookie year. The Sixers will visit the Celtics on Sunday. Here are observations on their win over the Heat: Maxey breaks record in style  Embiid opened the scoring by sealing deep in the paint on Adebayo and powering in for a layup. He posted the Sixers’ first seven points. Maxey poured in the next six with a pair of long-distance jumpers. The 25-year-old had plenty more shotmaking in store.  Maxey tied Allen Iverson’s Sixers record of 885 made three-pointers with a step-back jumper late in the first quarter. He soon passed Iverson’s mark and the Sixers recognized the achievement on the Jumbotron.  Maxey received “MVP” chants from the home crowd … and wasted almost no time before swishing his fifth triple of a 20-point first quarter.  The Sixers honored Maxey’s milestone with a video following the first period, too.  Iverson played 722 games with the Sixers and shot 30.9 percent from three-point range. Maxey’s at 375 games and 38 percent.  The NBA has changed dramatically since Iverson’s heyday — players of all sizes now launch threes — but Maxey’s record is still a fantastic accomplishment. He was the 21st overall pick in the 2020 draft, averaged just 15.3 minutes as a rookie and shot 31 for 103 (30.1 percent) beyond the arc. Maxey’s built on his raw talent and become one of the NBA’s best guards by being a hungry, tireless worker. Embiid plays through discomfort  The Sixers were sharp to start the second quarter.  Trendon Watford had a bright stretch that included a pretty high-low assist to Embiid. Edgecombe’s and-one layup gave the Sixers a 50-41 lead. Embiid wasn’t on the floor for much longer. He headed back to the Sixers’ locker room with 7:02 left in the second quarter and Dominick Barlow briefly stepped in at center. Less than three minutes later, Embiid returned to the action. However, he grimaced, moved gingerly and at one point waved his arms toward the Sixers’ bench as if he didn’t think he could continue. At a stoppage in play, Embiid appeared to take a pad off from under his jersey and hand it to head athletic trainer Kevin Johnson. Embiid gradually began to look more comfortable and closed out a 21-point first half. The Sixers finished the second quarter well and went up 73-57 on a Quentin Grimes three.  Thursday’s game was Embiid’s second following a five-game absence with right knee and right shin issues. Whatever the path, the Sixers know they need him to be healthy to have a real shot at playoff success.  Sixers bounce back from bad third quarter Miami scored the first seven points of the third quarter and the Sixers were frigid out of the second-half gates.  Maxey missed a runner to drop to 6 for 20 from the field. No one was productive early in the second half for the Sixers, who looked the part of the NBA’s worst third-quarter team. They scored a mere four points in the first six minutes of the third. The Sixers missed layups, made odd decisions and lacked organization.  On other end, the Heat had no such problems. Miami took an 81-80 lead on an Adebayo three. Timely jumpers from Cameron Payne and Barlow late in the third quarter helped the Sixers enter the fourth with a seven-point edge. They couldn’t pull away from the Heat, though. Embiid subbed out with 6:48 to go in the fourth quarter and Adem Bona assumed center duties until the 1:07 mark. Miami kept the contest tight and ultimately grabbed a 117-116 lead on a Herro jumper. The Sixers bounced back in time. Maxey made two free throws and Oubre drilled a catch-and shoot three. The team also secured a few crucial defensive stops. Edgecombe capped one with an athletic, gritty save of a defensive rebound. Embiid delighted both the fans and his teammates by nailing a jumper right in front of the Heat bench, lifting the Sixers to a seven-point lead. They were perfectly fine from there. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. ...read more read less