Heat 104 - 105 Sixers summary, stats, scores and highlights | NBA Play-In
The Heat took Philly down to the wire, but Philly converted in each and every big play late in the game to keep Miami at bay. Kelly Oubre had just 11 points on the night, but this might have been the biggest shot of the night.
Oubre's AND-1 was enough to see the Sixers through to the first round of the playoffs where they will meet the New York Knicks while the Heat will have to play the winner of the Hawks vs. Bulls Play-In game.
Batum was huge all night and when the Sixers had a chance to take the lead Embiid didn't hesitate to find the 35 year old veteran who was in the midst of a memorable night against the Heat.
Embiid didn't look comfortable for much of the game, but in the fourth quarter, when it mattered most it was the reigning MVP came through in the clutch. He had a three ball to tie the game up for the first time since early in the first half.
Nick Batum turned back the hand of time in Philly on Wednesday. He had a season high 20 points and and went 6/10 from three point range to carry his team when they needed it most.
With Joel Embiid fresh off of and injury, Philly knew it was going to be up to the other guys to carry them to victory. Buddy Hield had 7 of the Sixers 36 bench points. The second unit helped spur the comeback int he third quarter.
The Philadelphia 76ers are heading to the Eastern Conference playoffs after holding off the Miami Heat in a defensive battle from Wells Fargo Center. Joel Embiid led the Sixers with 23 points and 15 rebounds in the 106-105 win that sends them to the first round of the playoffs.
The Sixers pulled out to an early eight point lead, but then went cold for the rest of the first half. Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid struggled from the field early as the Sixers scored just 39 points and shot 32% from field in the first half.
IT'S ALL OVER!!
The Sixers are moving on to the first round of the playoffs after holding off the Miami Heat. Miami will play the winner of the Hawks vs. Bulls game coming later tonight.
Herro hits the three ball with 0.3 to go but it's not going to be enough!
Batum is called for an away from the play foul and Herro hits the FT. MIA willl keep the ball.
Timeout Heat with 8.2 to go.
Maxey to the line after the quick foul from Highsmith and he hits both FTs.
Jaquez hits the turn around J from outside the lane.
Oubre to the line after the foul on Martin and he hits both FTs with 16.1 to go.
Highsmith goes right to the rack for a lay up and the Sixers take a timeout with 19 to go.
Batum with the block on Herro and that might biggest play off the night for a guy that has a season high 20 points!
Maxey fouled after the block and he hits both FTs with 24 to go.
Herro got called for a back court violation after stepping on the line off the hand off from Jaquez!
Oubre with a lay up and the foul after the pass from Embiid and a quick put up for KOJ. FT is good after the foul on Butler.
TImeout Heat with 36 seconds to go.
Highsmith ties the game with a floater from outside the lane over Embiid.
Embiid comes down with the rebound and while backing away he drops the put back and gets the foul! FT is good after the foul on Highsmith.
Herro answers back with a pull up three ball on the wing and right now he's doing everything for Miami!
Embiid with another huge three ball and the Sixers take the lead with 2:30 to go!
Embiid to the line after the foul on Jaquez and he hits both FTs.
Herro pulls up off the dribble and hits the mid range from the wing.
Maxey missed the lay up but Batum came out of nowhere for the off balanced tip in! He's got a season high 20 on the night.
Timeout Heat with 4:12 to go!
Herro puts it on the deck and floats one up and in from outside the lane.
Jaquez had the seas part down the lane and he took it for a jam out of the timeout.
Herro on the catch and shoot and he drills it from the wing off the find from Highsmith!
Timeout Sixers with 6:06 to go in the final quarter!
Maxey with a drive down the lane and he finishes at the rim.
Butler with another steal, his fifth of the night, and that leads to an easy slam on the break.
Hield draws the defense on the drive and he lobs it up for Reed on the baseline alley oop!
Adebayo with a tough shot down low and he stops the bleeding.
Batum off the inbound and he drills another three ball off the pump fake sends Butler flying! He's got 18 tonight!
Herro to the line after the foul on Oubre and he knocks down both FTs.
Embiid feeds the hot hand, and finds Batum on the wing for the three ball! His fifth of the game!
Oubre to the line after the foul on Love and he hits both FTs.
Jaquez missed the lay up in traffic but Love was there for the tip in.
Embiid was left open for three and he drills it from the top of the key! It hasn't been his night but he steps up and ties the game early in the 4th quarter.
Oubre skies to the rim and hits the hanging lay up to start the quarter.
Jaquez drills a three ball to beat the buzzer and the rookie puts the Heat up five going into the final quarter.
MIA have the lead, but Philly started to figure things out in that corner.
Payne answers back from deep in the corner for his first points of the night.
Love was left open on the perimeter and he drills the three ball off the dribble!
Batum with another three ball from the wing! He's got 4 triples off the bench!
Butler on the baseline and he dumps it off from Highsmith who puts it up off the glass.
Delay of game on PHI so Butler hits the FTs after the technical.
Hield slices down the lane and lays it high up the glass in traffic.
Jaquez fouled by Oubre and he goes to the line where he hits one of two FTs.
Maxey down the lane he gets it to fall in traffic.
Offensive board from Adebayo and he finds Butler on the perimeter for three!
Batum in the corner and he cuts the lead to two with a deep ball! His third of the game.
Adebayo off the turn around fader and he drills it over Embiid.
Embiid kicks it out to Hield at the top of the key and he drills the three ball out of the timeout!
Oubre picks off Martin and he finds Hield for the runner on the break!
Timeout Heat with 6:14 to go in the 3rd quarter!
Batum on the wing and he strokes the three ball! Did the free chicken just turn this game around?
Martin to the line after the foul on Embiid and he misses both FTs to get the Philly fans free chicken!
Timeout Sixers with under 7:00 in the third quarter.
Harris to the line after the foul on Jovic and he hits one of two FTs.
Butler from the corner and he drills the line drive three ball off the kick out from Herro!
Maxey steps back and fades away from the FT line.
Embiid stretches to the bucket and he lays it up and in.
Herro into the lane and he lobs it up for Adebayo for the alley oop.
Lowry was cherry picking and he lays it off to Harris to the easy slam off the long outlet from Embiid.
Jovic drills a three ball from the top of the key off the feed from Herro!
Oubre off the inbound and he gets the lay up down low to go.
WE ARE BACK IN ACTION FOR THE SECOND HALF OF ACTION FROM PHILLY
Jimmy has four steals on the night already, all of them led to easy buckets on the other end. He's got 10 to lead the Heat.
Adebayo got in some early foul trouble in the first quarter but the Heat were able to come back and take the lead with him on the bench. He's got 4 points and 5 rebounds.
Embiid has 10 and 6 at the half, but doesn't look all the way comfortable on that banged up knee. Let's see how it holds up in the second half.
Maxey had 52 a few days ago, but has been held quiet for the most part here tonight. He's got 9 points off 3/9 shooting.
There weren't many highlight in that first half from either side. The only ones to choose from for Philly came early. Harris came out hot, but cooled down like the rest of his team.
WE ARE HEADED TO THE HALFTIME BREAK AND THE SIXERS GO TO THE LOCKER ROOM WITH A CHORUS OF BOOS!
They shot just 32.6% from the field and lost an 8 point first quarter lead.
Embiid to the line after the foul on Love and he hits both FTs.
Martin was wide open in the corner off the kick out from Butler and he strokes it!
Herro steps into a three ball on the break and drills it after the cross court pass from Adebayo!
Martin with the offensive rebound and he finds Wright on the wing for three!
Batum off the bench and he hits the corner three ball off the dish from Lowry.
Herro missed the baseline J but Adebayo was there for the tip in and his second FG of the night.
Lowry wiggle into the lane and he hits the off balanced runner through the lane.
Reed with the baseline drive into Adebayo and he gets it to go off the glass.
Wright in the corner and he drills it off the feed from Jaquez.
Harris finds Reed down low and he backs to the bucket for the lay up off the glass.
Timeout Heat with 5:38 to go in the first half.
Harris follows up the miss from Obure and tips it up and in.
Butler with his fourth steal and he lays it off to Highsmith for the jam on the break!
Adebayon throws down a slam after a two minute stretch without a score.
Wright finds Love on the perimeter and the veteran drills the three ball!
Timeout Sixers with 8:06 left in the first half.
Jaquez following up the miss from Butler and he tips it up and in.
Embiid goes right to the rack and he hits the runner from inside the lane.
Maxey to the line and he hits both FTs after the foul on Jaquez.
Jaquez drives down the right side of the lane and gets it to go off the glass.
Butler to the line after the foul on Embiid and he hits both FTs.
Lowry called for a defensive three seconds and Butler hits the FT.
Butler is back, and heads to the line for the FTs where he hits one of two.
That is going to bring an end to a defensive first quarter.
PHI went up by 8 but Miami battled back thanks to Herro and Butler who have 13 of the Heat's 23 points. Embiid has 6 and Maxey as 7 for Philly.
Butler went to beat the buzzer on a lay up on the break and he landed awkwardly after the foul on Oubre. He walked off the court on his own power, but let's see how long it takes him to come back.
Maxey down the lane and he hits the floater.
Love to the line after the foul on Oubre and he hits both FTs.
Jaquez off the bench and he hits the first three of the Heat's night.
Herro splits the defense and floats it up and in over Embiid.
Highsmith to the line after the foul on Lowry and he hits one of two FTs.
Lowry on the baseline and he hits the runner off the dish from Maxey.
Herro finds Martin on a dash to the rack and he lays it up and in.
Timeout Heat with 3:00 to go in the first.
Harris with another mid range jumper and he gets it to fall from the elbow.
Butler picks another pocket and takes it for the slam off the score.
Herro on the fade away from the baseline and he gets it to go.
Double team came on Embiid and he found Maxey on the wing from three!
Butler picks off the bad pass from Lowry and slams it on the break.
Martin called for the defensive three seconds and Embiid hits the FT.
Butler to the line after the foul on Lowry and he hits both FTs.
Lowry off the dribble and he drills the long ball from the wing!
Herro on the jump stop and the mid range jumper from outside the lane.
Embiid is fouled by Adebayo for the second time in a couple minutes and he hits both FTs.
Embiid off the dribble down the lane and he gets the runner to fall.
Adebayo sends Embiid to the line and he hits one of two FTs.
Jovic down the lane and he his a tough runner in the lane off the glass.
Maxey picks up the loose ball and takes it for the steal and score.
Maxey is back on the floor after the timeout.
The Sixers take an early timeout with Maxey shaken up. He took a blow to the face but it didn't seem like anything too serious. Would be surprised if he didn't come back.
Harris starts us off with a fade away elbow jumper to get the home team on the board.
WE ARE UNDERWAY FROM PHILLY!
Heat's starters
The postseason is here and that means it's time to unleash Jimmy Buckets. The Heat star usually saves his best for last, and against a team that chose Tobias Harris over him, he is certainly going to have something to say. He is joined by Herro, Martin, Jovic and Bam Adebayo.
Sixers starters
Joel Embiid is indeed in the starting five after a bit of speculation of his status coming into the night. He reinjured his surgically repaired knee against Orlando last week and sat out the season finale against the Brooklyn Nets, but he is back in the starting five tonight. He is joined by Oubre, Harris, Lowry and Maxey who is having a career season.
Season series
The Heat and the Sixers met four times during the regular season, and all four games came down to the wire. The Heat won two games and the Sixers won two games. Each team won at home and on the road, and each of the four games were decided by seven points or less. Miami won the first two games, the first of which, the Sixers had Embiid and Philly won the second two, but Embiid was only around for the final game of the series. Past history would suggest that tonight’s game is going to go down to the wire.
Enter: Jimmy Buckets
Playoff Jimmy is a thing. If for some odd reason you forgot, let me remind you. Jimmy Butler was solely responsible for the Heat’s run deep to the NBA Finals last year. He averaged 27 points, 6.5 rebound and 4.6 assists as he took over games on a regular basis and led Miami to a historic postseason run. Butler’s numbers have been pretty consistent over the last few year, averaging 21 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, but if Playoff Jimmy doesn’t appear the Heat are going to have an awfully tough time making a repeat run to the Finals.
Embiid is back
If there was any doubt of just how important Joel Embiid is to his team, all you have to to was have a look at the miserable stretch they had without the reigning MVP. Philly went 10-17 in the 27 games their center missed, and it’s not a coincidence that once he came back they went back to looking like one of the best teams in the East. He has played in five of the Sixers seven games since returning from the meniscus injury, and is averaging 30.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists. He may not be eligible for a second straight MVP because of the amount of games he has missed, but his impact on the court is nothing short of MVP worthy. This season he is averaging 34.7 points, 11 rebounds and 5.6 assists.
How they got here: Heat
The Miami Heat were the only eight seed in the history of the NBA to make it all the way to the NBA Finals last year. Their shocking run came on the heels of a below average regular season, and that is exactly what they have had this season in the Eastern Conference. They made a mid season trade for Terry Rozier and that helped them turn things around during an stretch in which they were hovering around .500. They ended the season winning seven of their last ten and getting the eight seed heading into the Play-In.
How they got here: Sixers
After losing to the Celtics in Game 7 of the Conference semifinals, the Sixers offloaded James Harden and gave the keys of the car to Joel Embiid in hopes that he would lead them to the top of the conference standings and a deep playoff run. Embiid and new coach Nick Nurse has the Sixers floating around the two or three spot in the standings for most of the year, but Joel Embiid’s injury against Golden State at the end of January was a devastating blow that sent the team spiraling down the standings. Embiid came back in the final couple weeks of the season and that triggered a Sixers hot streak heading into the postseason.
We are live from Wells Fargo Center
Hello everyone and welcome to the City of Brotherly Love where the Sixers glide into the the Play-In tournament on an eight game win streak. It has been a bumpy ride for the Sixers who were tabbed as one of the top dogs in the East coming into the season. They looked like contenders for most of the season, but then disaster struck when their big man and reigning NBA MVP was sidelined with a torn meniscus at the end of January. He is back, and so are the Sixers who could be a real threat in the East, but they will have to get through the Miami Heat who have been streaky to say the least. This team has another gear once they get to the playoffs, and that is all thanks to one man, Jimmy Butler.
Heat vs. Sixers
The seven seed in the Eastern Conference is up for grabs tonight from Philadelphia as last year’s finalists take on one of the preseason favorites in the East. The Philadelphia 76ers host the Miami Heat from Wells Fargo Center with the winner moving on to the playoffs while the loser will take on the winner of the 9 vs. 10 match up later tonight. AS English will be with you all night providing live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis of tonight’s game from Philly.