The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Miami Heat in the NBA Play-In Tournament.
Philadelphia (AP) Joel Embiid demonstrated why Philadelphia always has a chance to go deep into the playoffs as long as he’s in the lineup.
Embiid scored 23 points, 15 rebounds, and one big assist to Kelly Oubre Jr. on a go-ahead three-point shot as the 76ers defeated the Miami Heat 105-104 in the Eastern Conference play-in round on Wednesday night.
The 76ers were seeded seventh and will face the second-seeded New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference playoffs’ first round. Game 1 is scheduled for Saturday at Madison Square Garden.
The Heat, who advanced from the play-in tournament to the NBA Finals last year, will host the winner of the late play-in game between Chicago and Atlanta on Friday night, with the winner receiving the No. 8 seed.
Embiid broke out of a quiet game late in the fourth quarter and led the Sixers back from 14 down in the second half. Embiid, who has missed 43 games this season, was a non-factor as Nicolas Batum and Buddy Hield unexpectedly energized the 76ers in the second half. Batum scored 20 points.
When the Sixers needed huge baskets, who else was there than their big man?
Embiid hit a go-ahead 3-pointer from the top of the arc with 2:33 left in the game for a 93-91 advantage, sending the fans into a frenzy after nearly booing the Sixers out of the stadium at halftime. After the Sixers wasted the lead, Embiid came up big again with a three-pointer to make it 96-94.
With the game knotted at 96-all, Miami’s Tyler Herro was called for a backcourt violation. Embiid sent the ball to Oubre beneath the hoop for the bucket, the free throw, and a 99-96 advantage that they would not relinquish.
The 76ers played like it was Game 7, and for good cause. They prefer their chances against the upstart Knicks to fighting for the No. The eighth seed will face the NBA’s finest, the Boston Celtics.
That is what Miami will confront if it can win Friday’s game and advance to the playoffs for the second straight season.
Herro ended with 25 points, including a three-pointer in the last second, before the 76ers lost possession as time expired. Jimmy Butler, who may have been hindered by a first-half knee injury, finished with 19.
The 76ers recovered in the third quarter, maybe aided by a free fast-food chicken offer activated when the Heat missed consecutive free throws with a nine-point advantage.
With the fans cheering for the first time all night, the Sixers blasted off—but not behind the usual suspects. Batum, acquired in the James Harden trade with the Clippers, instead nailed three three-pointers in the quarter, bringing the Sixers within one possession of tying the game three times. Each time, the 76ers were stopped, none more so than when Embiid was stripped on a drive that could have tied the game at 68. Instead, Kevin Love hit a three-pointer, giving the Heat a 74-69 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
After a couple fast buckets put them ahead early, the Sixers succumbed and appeared completely perplexed by Miami’s zone. The Sixers remained lethargic, unable to find a way to get the ball inside to Embiid, who waved his arm in vain for a ball that never arrived. And where is his help? Tyrese Maxey, an All-Star guard with three 50-point performances this season, disappeared and scored only nine points in the half. He ended with nineteen.
Philly’s hungry boo birds were heard early, often, and never louder than when the oft-maligned Tobias Harris followed in the footsteps of 1990s Knicks legend Charles Smith by missing four—four!—gimmes at the hoop on one possession.
Harris was benched for the last minutes of the game.
