Sixers Veteran Kyle Lowry Offers Honest Take on Facing Miami Heat

Did Kyle Lowry have any added motivation when facing his former team as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers?

When the Miami Heat paid a visit to the Philadelphia 76ers before the 2024 NBA All-Star break, the Sixers had just added the veteran guard Kyle Lowry.

The February 14 matchup against the Heat could’ve served as Lowry’s first opportunity to face his former team since parting ways with them via trade one month prior. However, the veteran had to go through a ramp-up process before getting cleared for action.

On Monday night, Lowry finally faced the Heat, and the Philly native didn’t disappoint.

Collecting his ninth start in a row with the Sixers, Lowry was issued a 35-minute shift against his former team. He attempted 12 shots from the field, finding success on half of them. From an offensive standpoint, Lowry had his best game in a Sixers uniform.

In the scoring department, Lowry produced 16 points. While he only dished out one assist, the veteran was turnover-free for just the second time since debuting in Philly.

Then, on the defensive end, Lowry came down with four rebounds, snatched two steals, and blocked a shot. The effort from the 37-year-old made it seem as if there was some added motivation with him facing his former teammates in his hometown.

According to Lowry, it was just another night in the office.

“I think the juice was that we understood it was a big game for the standings,” he told reporters. “We needed that win for the standings purposes.”

The Sixers entered Monday night’s game ranked in eighth place. They trailed the Heat, who held the tie-breaker since they were 2-0 against Philadelphia this season. After taking down the Heat, and issuing them their 31st loss of the year, the Sixers jumped up to the sixth seed before heading into their Monday night matchup against the Phoenix Suns.

As a championship-winning veteran, Lowry only found motivation in wanting to win and help his team get out of the Play-In picture for some time. As for the Heat, the team that traded him to a struggling Charlotte Hornets squad, Lowry has no hard feelings. 

“I love and admire those guys so much,” he added. “I still root for them except for when I’m playing against them. There was no added juice. There was just, like, go out there and try to win the game for our team because of the standings. It’s going to be a tight race, and we have to do what we have to do and hold it down while we can and try to take advantage of the opportunities that we have and win as many games as we possibly can.”

After their win over Miami, the Sixers are set to kick off a four-game trip out West, which begins with a matchup against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday.