Joel Embiid revealed why Philadelphia constantly has a shot at a long postseason run as long as he’s in the lineup.
Embiid had 23 points, 15 rebounds and one big help to Kelly Oubre Jr. on a consent three-point play that led the 76ers to a 105-104 win over the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference play-in competition on Wednesday night.
The 76ers made the No. 7 seed and innovative to play the second-seeded New York Knicks in the opening round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Game 1 is Saturday at Madison Square Garden.
The Heat — who went from the play-in tourney to the NBA Finals a year ago — host the winner of the night’s late play-in videogame inbetween Chicago and Atlanta on Friday night, with the winner getting the No. 8 seed.
Embiid tookoff out of a peaceful videogame late in the 4th and brought the Sixers back from 14 down in the 2nd half. Embiid, who missedouton 43 videogames this season, was a non-factor as Nicolas Batum and Buddy Hield unbelievably stimulated the 76ers in the 2nd half. Batum had 20 points.
But when the Sixers required huge pails, who else was there however their huge male?
Embiid buried a consent 3-tip from the leading of the arc with 2;33 left in the videogame for a 93-91 lead that sentout a crowd — that had about booed the Sixers out of the structure at the half — into a craze. After the Sixers blew that lead, Embiid onceagain was clutch with a three-point play for a 96-94 lead.
With the videogame connected 96-all, Miami’s Tyler Herro was whistled for a backcourt offense. Embiid slipped the ball to Oubre under the basket for the pail, the totallyfree toss and a 99-96 lead they would not provide up.
The 76ers played this one like it was Game 7 — and with great factor. They like their opportunities versus the upstart Knicks rather than playing for the No. 8 seed and a date with the NBA’s finest, the Boston Celtics.
That’s what Miami dealswith if it can get out of Friday’s videogame and make the playoffs under this format for the 2nd straight season.
Herro — who hit a 3 in the last 2nd before the 76ers lost the ball out of bounds as time ended — completed with 25 points. Jimmy Butler, maybe slowed by a first-half knee injury, had 19.
The 76ers rallied in the 3rd, sustained possibly by a complimentary fast-food chicken promo setoff when the Heat missedouton successive complimentary tosses with a nine-point lead.
With the crowd roaring for the veryfirst time all night, the Sixers took off — however not behind the normal suspects. Batum — obtained in the James Harden offer with the Clippers — rather hit three 3s in the quarter that edged the Sixers within one belongings of a tie videogame 3 times. Each time, the 76ers were stymied, none evenworse then when Embiid was removed on a drive that might haveactually knotted the videogame at 68-all. Kevin Love rather buried a 3 and the Heat took a 74-69 lead into the 4th.
After a coupleof fast containers put them up early, the Sixers caved and appeared downright bewildered by Miami’s zone. The Sixers were passive and might not discover a method to dump the ball inside to Embiid — the 7-footer waving his arm in vain for a ball that neverever came. And where his aid? All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey — who had 3 50-point videogames this season — disappeared and scored just 9 points in the half. He completed with 19.
Philly’s starved boo birds were heard early, frequently and neverever louder than when the oft-maligned Tobias Harris ripped a page out of the 1990s Knicks star Charles Smith’s book when he missedouton 4 — 4! — gimmes at the pail on one ownership.
Harris was benched in the last minutes of the videogame.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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