By Mike Workunov, Eric Koren, and Tobias Bass
A tale of two halves and great bench play earned the Philadelphia 76ers the No. 7 seed
With a loss, the Heat will play the Chicago Bulls in a win-or-go-home matchup for the final NBA playoff spot.
Nicholas Badum had a monster game with a season-high 20 points and five rebounds. Joel Embiid led all scorers with 23 points on 6-of-17 shooting to go along with 15 rebounds and five assists.
The 76ers went into halftime up 51-39, and continued to be cheered by the Philly faithful as they committed 12 first-half turnovers and Miami scored 17 points. Their struggles were predicated on Miami's zone defense, as eight of Philly's 12 turnovers came against the zone.
To start the second half, Philadelphia began to press more defensively and rely on their bench, and Miami had very few answers. They kept the game close with heroics from Bam Adebayo and Tyler Hero, but the 76er's pace was too much to overcome. Philly's bench scored 36 points, and Batum made a key block on Hero late in the fourth quarter to seal the game.
What this victory means for Philidebia
The Sixers didn't just win their play-in tournament game, they won something important. This puts them in the playoffs as the 7th seed as they avoid the Boston Celtics in the first round. The Knicks will no doubt be a tough matchup, but they're not the Celtics who were the unquestioned regular season juggernauts. They'll take the train to New York and flip the coin in the first round for the next two weeks or so.
It was a great comeback for the Sixers. They detect heat in real time. Nothing connected like Embiid, who struggled early and then took over late. His clutch buckets and huge assist to Kelly Oubre Jr. late in the fourth quarter helped seal the win. — Mike Workunov, NBA and basketball business staff writer
Can Miami put together another Cinderella run?
The Heat had the 28th-ranked clutch offense in the league this year, a major warning sign about the team's potential throughout a slow playoff run. Miami built a 12-point lead on the strength of a tricky zone defense that spooked the 76ers and created easy opportunities in transition. Once Philadelphia embraced, Miami couldn't produce enough scoring. Aside from Herro, Miami had no offensive secondary, and that allowed Philadelphia to eventually get past them.
The Heat will play the Bulls in Miami on Friday night, and the winner will play the Celtics in the first round. However, Jimmy Butler injured himself late in the first quarter when Oubre replaced him, and Terry Rozier, the speedy guard acquired for Kyle Lowry in January, has missed five straight games with a neck injury.
Butler barely moved during a few late Miami possessions, shooting 5-for-18 on the night. Butler said he will get an MRI on his knee on Thursday and said he felt more limited as the game progressed and hurt the Heat more than it helped them. If Butler compromises and Rozier isn't available, the Heat will need a little magic to get into the playoffs. – Eric Koren, NBA staff writer
Go deeper
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(Photo: Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images)
