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Joel Embiid had trouble with his new mask.

It didn’t slow him down.

Embiid’s playoff debut was a smashing success for Philadelphia. The All-Star center returned from a 10-game absence by scoring 23 points , including a personal 7-0 run down the stretch that iced matters, and the 76ers reclaimed control of their Eastern Conference first-round series by topping the Miami Heat 128-108 on Thursday night.

The 76ers outscored the Heat 32-14 in the fourth quarter, and took a 2-1 lead in the series.

”I am just so proud of what he did,” 76ers coach Brett Brown said.

Rightly so, too. Embiid started the day doubtful, ended it dominant, and had plenty of help as well. Marco Belinelli and Dario Saric each scored 21 for Philadelphia, and Ben Simmons finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists.

”It was annoying,” Embiid said of getting used to the mask. ”But that was the only way I could play in this game, if I wore the mask and protected my face with goggles. I had to work through it and I did.”

Thursday began with the 76ers saying Embiid wasn’t likely to play. His status was upgraded to probable in the afternoon and then he finally was inserted into the starting lineup – medical clearance coming from the team, mask clearance coming from the NBA after the league signed off on the dark, translucent, carbon-fiber, goggled apparatus that was made in consultation with independent experts.

The mask came off a couple times, the goggles were askew at times as well – Heat forward Justise Winslow even stomping on them once for good measure, a play that Brown chalked up to the intensity of playoff basketball – but in the end Embiid found a way.

”It’s definitely a different look when you have an All-Star back in the lineup,” Winslow said. ”It changes things , for sure.”

Goran Dragic scored 23 points for Miami, which got 19 from Winslow and 14 from Josh Richardson.

Game 4 is Saturday afternoon.

Embiid banked in a turnaround straightaway jumper – a fortuitous bounce – to put Philadelphia up nine late, then connected on a 3-pointer and added a pair of throws to start the spurt that put away the game.

Meanwhile, Miami couldn’t find any sort of stride.

Hassan Whiteside was mired in foul trouble and ineffective, finishing the night all of 1 for 1 from the field for five points. Dwyane Wade, who Miami needed to be superb in the win at Philadelphia in Game 2, shot 2 for 10. Wayne Ellington, Miami’s single-season leader in 3-pointers after making a record 227 this season, was 1 for 5 from the floor.

The Heat won Game 2 by controlling the physical battle.

Game 3 was another street fight, and Philadelphia didn’t back down. Philly won Game 1 by dominating the second half, and Game 3 went a similar way. The 76ers outscored Miami 74-43 in the second half of Game 1, and 65-44 in the second half on Thursday.

”It’s clear that the first game and the third game were played on their terms,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.

TIP-INS

76ers: Philadelphia had a pair of shooters fouled beyond the 3-point line in the first quarter: Robert Covington made two of his three free throws, and Belinelli turned his chance into a four-point play. … Embiid missed his first five shots, then put his finger to his lips in the universal ”shush” sound to the crowd after getting his first one to fall.

Heat: Winslow’s previous season high for scoring was 18. … Wade, who carried Miami to the win at Philadelphia in Game 2, didn’t get his first field goal in this one until 2:46 was left in the third. … The Heat allowed Philadelphia to shoot 51 percent.

MANY WHISTLES

The teams combined for 56 personal fouls – Heat 30, 76ers 26. Each team also was whistled for three technicals.

IN MEMORIAM

The game was preceded by a moment of silence to remember the lives of Erin Popovich , the wife of San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich, and former first lady Barbara Bush. Brown is a former a Spurs assistant who has remained close with the Popovich family, and said Erin Popovich ”was a star, like a real star. A very strong woman, and somebody that will be missed.”

WELCOME BACK

Among those in the sold-out crowd were former Heat point guards Mario Chalmers and Jason Williams, the starters on Miami’s three NBA championship teams. Both got warm ovations when shown on the videoboards around the arena.

UP NEXT

Game 4 is Saturday in Miami, a rare 2:30 p.m. start.
The Arizona Cardinals' 2018 draft made its reputation on Day 1 with the selection of a player who the team hopes will become the long-sought franchise quarterback of years to come.

If the Cardinals got no one in this draft besides Josh Rosen, fans would have called it a rousing success.

And offense turned out to be the theme. Only one of the six players drafted by the Cardinals plays defense, even though their new coach Steve Wilks was defensive coordinator last year at Carolina.

The choices were simply a function of the names on the Arizona draft board, general manager Steve Keim said.

"In a perfect world, coach and I would have been thrilled to have balance and to fill some positions defensively if those guys warranted those picks," Keim said. "But we had such high grades on those offensive players, we didn't want to stray away from the board."

In the second round, Arizona went with homegrown wide receiver Christian Kirk from Texas A&M in the second round.

The Cardinals picked center Mason Cole out of Michigan in the third round and, with their first choice Saturday dipped into the FCS ranks to grab running back Chase Edmonds of Fordham.

It marked only the second time in the draft's modern era (which began in 1967) that the Cardinals have used their first four picks on the offense. The other was in 1993.

Finally, in the sixth round, Arizona went defense, grabbing cornerback Chris Campbell of Penn State. The Cardinals' final pick came third to last in the seventh and final round when they selected offensive tackle Korey Cunningham of Cincinnati.

But this draft was , first and foremost, about that long-awaited young quarterback for Arizona.

When Carson Palmer retired at the end of last season, there were no QBs on the roster. Now they have Sam Bradford, Mike Glennon and Rosen, who will begin his new job in earnest at the rookie minicamp in two weeks.

HOME SWEET HOME

No Arizona draftee could have been happier than Kirk, who grew up in the Phoenix area, starring at Saguaro High in Scottsdale before choosing Texas A&M over staying home at Arizona State. Now he's coming home and keeps describing the situation as "surreal."

Kirk said he got to know star receiver Larry Fitzgerald when he played on the same Pop Warner team as Kurt Warner's son. Warner would sometimes bring Fitzgerald along to games and they struck up a friendship.

"I think I was probably in the fourth grade at the time, third or fourth grade, and every time they came out, it was just so crazy," Kirk said.

Kirk will use his old No. 13. That was the Hall of Famer Warner's number, too.

"Exactly, I have to rock it well," Kirk said. "I have a lot to live up to."

CHARACTER

Keim said that as he evolves through his fifth year on the job, he's paying more attention than ever to off-the-field character and the player's love of the game as he assesses who should be selected. He noted all but Campbell in this year's class were team captains.

The idea was to go with "strong character guys" that match what Wilks calls his team's DNA.

"I've almost promised myself that we would take guys, even if they're a little less talented, but they have that makeup," Keim said. "... Especially in our first draft together , we wanted to make a statement."

FCS SUCCESS

Almost every year, the Cardinals dip into the talent at the FCS level, or lower.

This year it was Edmonds, the all-time leading rusher in the Patriot League for yards and touchdowns who could be in a crowded competition for a backup spot behind 2016 All-Pro David Johnson, as well as a kick and punt returner.

"I'm just looking forward to whatever role Arizona asks me," he said. "Whether it's being a special teams player, being a third-down back, on the slot, something like that. I'm looking forward to it."

Keim called Edmonds' production "off the charts" and said he would have set the FCS career rushing record had he not been injured during his senior season.

Some prior Arizona draftees from the FCS ranks or lower include Johnson, taken in the third round out of Northern Iowa in 2015; wide receiver John Brown, selected in third round out of Pittsburg State (Kan.) in 2014; and cornerback/special teams player Justin Bethel, picked in the sixth round out of Presbyterian in 2012.

Oh, and quarterback John Skelton out of Fordham in the fifth round in 2010. He's no longer around.

STILL NEED

Look for defensive players to be signed as undrafted free agents, as well as maybe some late veteran signings. Arizona still needs to find a cornerback to play opposite Patrick Peterson and is looking for depth at linebacker as the team transitions from a 3-4 base formation to a 4-3. The Cardinals also could use some depth at tight end.

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