Saturday, Jimmy Butler returned to Philadelphia for his first game at the 76ers since he left the squad this summer in a sign-and-trade deal that would land him on the Miami Heat roster. It would prove to be a less-than-fantastic appearance as the Heat suffered a major blow at the hands of the Sixers.
With the 76ers leading by 20 points by halftime, they increased their lead to 33 points after three quarters and would ultimately hit a high of a 41 during the match that ended with a 113-86 score. It marks the fourth win in a row for Philadelphia's squad, improving their home record to 7-0.
At the outset of the game, Jimmy Butler was the first Heat player to be introduced to the 100th consecutive home sold-out crowd at Wells Fargo Center and he was met with a sea of boos. What's more is that every time he touched the ball, the boos would start back up.
It marked a stellar performance from Josh Richardson who had to leave the Heat for 76ers in Butler's deal after four seasons in Miami. He would go on to land a season-high of 32 points.
"Being able to play against some of my best friends is always fun, but I wasn’t like just super amped up or super looking forward to playing against them, but it was definitely a fun game to play," Richardson told reporters after the match.
Overall, the Sixers went 14-for-29 from the three-point range.
“I saw my first couple of shots go through and I was staying aggressive, finding the spots and the big guys did a great job of getting me open on screens," Richardson added. "I was able to create for myself and other guys off the screens.”