PHILADELPHIA, PA – JANUARY 14: Shake Milton #18 of the Philadelphia 76ers shoots the ball against Tyler Herro #14 of the Miami Heat in the first quarter at the Wells Fargo Center on January 14, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
The Philadelphia 76ers guard missed the past three games due to health and safety protocols, and thrived in the first half vs. the Miami Heat.
This past week has been a difficult one for the Philadelphia 76ers, as they had to deal with follow the NBA’s health and safety protocols and undergo rigorous contact tracing after guard Seth Curry tested positive for COVID-19 during a game against the Brooklyn Nets. That forced many on the players on the roster to quarantine, leaving the Sixers actually having to play multiple games with just eight players available. One of those players in quarantine was Shake Milton, and he made quite the return on Thursday night.
Milton came off the bench in the first half of Philadelphia’s game against the Miami Heat, where he managed to shoot 6-for-7 from the field and 3-for-3 from the 3-point line for a total of 19 points, including the insane buzzer-beater he hit below. The 76ers would go onto win 125-108.
Heat couldn’t shake Milton off
It goes without saying, but Milton had his best game of the 2020-21 season. In 27 minutes of playing time, the 24-year-old guard recorded 31 points, 7 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 steals while shooting 11-of-15 from the field. And this came after Milton missed the past three games due to health and safety protocols.
The Heat are dealing with similar issues the 76ers have had to go through. On Thursday night, the Heat had just eight players active for the game due to health and safety protocols. Among those who missed the game for Miami were Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic.
After back-to-back wins over the Heat, Milton and the 76ers will look to extend their winning streak to three games this Saturday at the expense of the Memphis Grizzlies.