Embiid scored 23 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, and helped Kelly Oubre Jr. make a game-winning three-point play to lift the 76ers past the Miami Heat 105-104 on Wednesday in the Eastern Conference Play-In tournament.
The 76ers were placed seventh in the Eastern Conference playoffs and will take on the second-seeded New York Knicks in the first round. Madison Square Garden will host the first game on Saturday.
The second-seeded New York Knicks will face the seventh-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in an Eastern Conference first-round playoff series after the latter outscored Miami 66-53 in the second half. The best-of-seven series begins on Saturday in New York with Game 1.
The Miami Heat, who advanced from the NBA Play-In to the Finals the previous season, will face the winner of Chicago vs. Atlanta on Friday. The winner will secure the No. 8 seed. Late in the fourth quarter, Embiid came alive, leading the Sixers back from a 14-point deficit in the second half.
Embiid, who has missed 43 games this season, had little impact on the game. Philadelphia 76ers were unexpectedly ignited in the second half by Nicolas Batum and Buddy Hield. Batum scored twenty points. However, Embiid stepped up when the Sixers needed huge buckets.
Philadelphia 76ers will now have to face 2nd seed New York Knicks
With good reason, the Philadelphia 76ers approached this game like it was Game 7. Instead of competing for the No. 8 spot and a matchup with the Boston Celtics, the top team in the NBA, they fancy their chances versus the young Knicks.
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Miami will have to contend with the possibility of winning Friday’s match and going to the playoffs for the second consecutive year. According to the NBA website, Jimmy Butler scored 19 points, while Herro scored 25.
Miami still has a chance to qualify for the playoffs after winning the play-in game to get to the NBA Finals last season. They play the winner of Wednesday’s later play-in game between the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks on Friday, and the victor advances to face the top-seeded Boston Celtics in the first round.
