WATCH: Sixers veteran Kyle Lowry dives over the score table and into the crowd to save ball

Kyle Lowry’s high-intensity basketball was contagious this Monday evening at the Wells Fargo Center. Maybe it was the fact that he was facing Miami, his former team, for the first time since getting traded out two months ago. At one point during the game, he tried to save a loose ball and ran over the score board and into the crowd.

Everyone at the arena saw the play, except for his coach Nick Nurse who somehow wasn’t paying attention. “I totally missed it,” he said afterwards. “I just heard the crowd react, so I assumed it had to be good. I’ve seen him dive into the crowd … you know he’s playing if he’s ending up in the crowd.”

The player, on the other hand, gave his own take on what went through his mind before flying through the air. “When you get to a certain age, you ain’t got no brakes, so I couldn’t stop myself,” he said with a smile. 

That play was only one of the veteran’s highlights in his team’s 98-91 victory against the Heat. The Sixers guard ended the contest with 16 points, 4 rebound and 1 assist after 35 minutes on the floor. This win places the Philly in the Eastern Conference’s sixth place, but smooshed in between the South Beach club and the Indiana Pacers. 

“I think the juice was that we understood that was a big game for the standings. We needed that win for the standing purposes. I love and admire those guys so much, and I still root for them except for when I’m playing against them. But there was no added juice. Just go out there and try to win a game for our team because of the standings,” the 38-year-old said postgame.

Lowry acknowledged that in the East’s standings nothing is written in stone. “It’s going to be a tight race and we got to do what we can do and hold it down while we can, and then try to take advantage of the opportunities that we have and just win as many games as we possibly can,” he assured.

The 76ers also depended on their other healthy star, Tyrese Maxey, who dropped 30 points last night, and added 8 rebounds and 10 assists to his stat line. This triumph comes at a difficult time, as the Philadelphia camp has many injured players, including Joel Embiid’s recovery from meniscus surgery and Tobias Harris, who missed his second straight match. 

“Yeah, I mean it certainly helps a lot,” Nurse said about Kyle’s leadership. “I think he sees a lot and positions people a lot. But he’s actually like making more plays than doing that. This is another game where he’s hit a two huge shots with a couple minutes … so he’s making plays, along with his leadership and organization.”

Lowry says that all the team is missing is superstar Joel Embiid to produce a strong push for the NBA title

As Philly will now embark on a four-game West Coast road trip to take on the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers and Sacramento Kings before coming home next Wednesday to face James Harden’s first game in Pennsylvania since he left the club back in October, they will need all the luck they can get. 

Or as Lowry says it, all the Sixers need is their  star big man back on the floor with them. After last night’s game, he was asked what his squad is missing at the moment, and he didn’t hesitate. “A 7-foot-2 guy,” he said jokingly. “That’ll help.”

What do you think is the biggest thing this team needs right now?

Kyle Lowry: “A seven-foot-two guy, that’ll help.” 😅pic.twitter.com/NdLVv4BbDj

— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) March 19, 2024

The 76ers are now 12-22 without Joel this season, which is a completely different reality to their 26-8 mark when the reigning MVP was healthy. Coach Nurse reminded the press that he still has no timetable for his return, despite already starting to work out in training. 

“I haven’t had the opportunity to play with Big Fella, and I’m looking forward to that,” Lowry revealed. “I’ve seen it, of course, but in person it’s a lot different. The one thing that I’ve learned so far, his basketball mind is very sharp. Very, very smart basketball player, smart individual. So we just got to be patient until he gets back.”