MIAMI _ To appreciate the intensity of the Miami Heat in the wake of Monday night's road loss to the Dallas Mavericks was merely to gaze at the Philadelphia 76ers bench during the start of each half Wednesday night at AmericanAirlines Arena.
With the Heat jumping to a 7-0 lead into what would turn into a 125-98 victory, 76ers coach Brett Brown called timeout 49 seconds into the game.
After the Heat extended their 20-point halftime lead, Brown called timeout 1:26 into the second half.
That's where the growth has come amid this run of 17 victories in the last 20 games. The previous time the Heat lost a road game, which happened to be against these same 76ers, they returned home to lay an egg in a loss to the Orlando Magic.
This time, after the Heat's offense went south in Dallas, the Heat stormed to a 64-point first half and ran away from there, needing to next make amends Friday in Orlando, as well, with a schedule that still includes three games apiece against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors, as well as two against the surging Washington Wizards.
"You saw the guys share the game offensively," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, "and that was the most important thing."
With the ball back in motion after a stagnant offensive finish in Dallas, make it 100 or more points in 17 of the last 18 games, after that 96-89 glitch against the Mavericks.
To put into perspective just how much the Heat got back to the ball movement that has fueled this revival from 11-30 at midseason, consider that by the end of the first half center Hassan Whiteside had matched his career high of three assists.
Whiteside also filled the usual statistical categories, closing with 15 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks shots, his 102nd Heat double-double trying LeBron James' total with the Heat, despite sitting out the fourth quarter.
There also were 24 points from Tyler Johnson, 18 from Wayne Ellington, 15 apiece from Goran Dragic and Dion Waiters, and 14 from James Johnson.
"The guys understand our strength is in numbers," Spoelstra said. "The Johnson and Johnsons bring us a great spark off the bench."
Tyler Johnson's effort was the 17th 20-point game off the Heat bench this season, tying the franchise record, with the Heat also producing 17 20-point games off their bench in 1991-92.
With the victory, the Heat moved above .500 at home for the first time this season, at 15-14, after completing their most-lopsided victory of the season.
"We're playing for something right now," Spoelstra said. "We don't have a lot of wiggle room."
The Heat were without backup center Willie Reed for a second consecutive game due to ankle bursitis, with Okaro White again playing as the backup center behind Whiteside.
The Heat also continued to slow play the return of Josh Richardson from his foot sprain, again playing him as the fifth guard, behind Dragic, Waiters, Tyler Johnson and Wayne Ellington, who sizzled from the 3-point line, shooting 6 of 9 from beyond the arc.
In addition, the Heat lost starting small forward Rodney McGruder for the balance of the game in the third quarter with a bruise left quad.
The Heat entered 1-2 against the 76ers in the four-game season series having won five in a row from the 76ers before this season's two losses. With Wednesday's victory, the Heat have now won five in a row at AmericanAirlines Arena from Philadelphia.
The 76ers were coming off Monday's 119-108 home loss to the Warriors, now with losses in four of their last five.
After pushing to a 24-point lead in the third quarter, the Heat went into the fourth ahead 88-74, with four players with at least 15 points at that stage, a stage when Dragic had four fouls.
The Heat held their largest halftime lead of the season when they went into the intermission up 64-44, after outscoring the 76ers 27-17 in the second period.
Whiteside had already matched his career high with three assists by the intermission, with the Heat forcing 10 turnovers over the opening two periods.
After struggling Monday in Dallas, the Heat regained their offensive stroke at the outset Wednesday, outscoring the 76ers 37-27 in the first quarter, converting 4 of 8 3-pointers in the period.
The 76ers were dealing with the confirmation earlier in the day that rookie center Joel Embiid would be out for the balance of the season due to a knee issue. A week earlier, the 76ers had traded center Nerlens Noel to the Mavericks essentially for draft picks.
