WHAT A TIP-IN BY BATUM 😱 Miami leads Philly by 1 in the 4th quarter on ESPN!
Philadelphia 76ers rally in second half led by Joel Embiid to defeat Miami Heat: Set to face New York Knicks in Round 1
NBAThursday, 18 April 2024 at 03:56
After a slow start to this game, the Philadelphia 76ers rallied in the second half to pull off a 105-104 comeback victory over the Miami Heat at Wells Fargo Center behind the leadership of Joel Embiid. They will now face the New York Knicks in the first round while the reigning Eastern Conference champs have one more chance to keep their season alive.
The 76ers only scored 39 points in the first half and were trailing by as much as 13 points in the 3rd quarter, but Joel Embiid stepped up and led his team on both ends of the court. He finished with 23 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 assists in this game. Tyrese Maxey had 19 points and 6 assists while Kelly Oubre Jr. recorded 11 points and 8 rebounds. Nicolas Batum was the X-factor in this contest as he scored 20 points and hit 6 three-pointers off the bench while also playing phenomenal defense on Jimmy Butler.
Tyler Herro led the Heat in scoring with his 25 points along with 9 assists and 4 triples. Playoff Jimmy had 19 points and 5 steals but shot poorly at just 28% from the field. He seemed to have injured his right knee in the first quarter and it bothered him all game long so it will be interesting to see how he's feeling for the next play-in game on Friday. Bam Adebayo finished with 10 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 blocks while Jaime Jaquez Jr. provided 15 points and 5 boards off the bench.
Philadelphia will now matchup against the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs. Despite being the lower seed, the 76ers may still be viewed as the better team due to the presence of the reigning MVP Joel Embiid and the absence of Julius Randle. It will be a competitive matchup between two of the better teams in the Eastern Conference and the series will start on Saturday.
Miami will compete in one more play-in game to earn the last playoff spot. They will face the winner of the Hawks and Bulls for a chance to play against the Boston Celtics in Round 1. The Heat have proven to be a dominant postseason team despite their seed so they will always be a tough team to eliminate. However, their main focus will be on the health of superstar Jimmy Butler and his availability for Friday's contest.
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