PHILADELPHIA 76ers overcame an early deficit to defeat Miami Heat, 105-104, in the NBA Eastern Conference Play-in Tournament on Wednesday night (Thursday in the Philippines) at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Down by double-digits early in the game, the 76ers slowly clawed their way back until they took a 96-94 lead late in the fourth quarter on a three-point play by reigning MVP Joel Embiid.
The Heat tied the score for the last time at 96-all on a conversion by Haywood Highsmith, but a three-point play by Kelly Oubre Jr. and a layup by Tyrese Maxey widened the 76ers’ edge to 101-96.
Miami made their last push at 98-101, but free throw connections from Oubre and Maxey put the Philadelphia ahead, 105-100, with eight seconds left in the game.
Embiid top-scored for the 76ers with 23 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists, Nicholas Batum added 20 points, and Maxey and Oubre contributed 19 and 11 markers, respectively.
The No. 7 ranked 76ers will next face the no.2 seed New York Knicks in a best-of-seven Eastern Conference first round series beginning on Saturday night (Sunday morning in the Philippines).
Tyler Herro top-scored for the Heat with 25 points, including four triples, Jimmy Butler added 19 markers, Jaime Jaquez Jr. tallied 15 points, while Bam Adebayo and Kevin Love contributed 10 markers apiece in the loss.
The Heat will still have a chance to capture the eighth and last playoffs seat when they face Chicago Bulls in a do-or-die game on Friday night (Saturday morning in the Philippines).
The Bulls survived the 9th-10th place play-in tournament game after a 131-116 rout of Atlanta Hawks at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
Coby White led the way for the Bulls with 45 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and two steals, Nikola Vucevic added a double-double of 24 points and 12 rebounds, while DeMar DeRozan ended with 22 points./PN
BOX SCORE:
PHILADELPHIA 105 — Embiid 23, Batum 20, Maxey 19, Oubre 11, Harris 9, Lowry 7, Hield 7, Reed 6, Payne 3.
MIAMI 104 — Herro 25, Butler 19, Jaquez 15, Adebayo 10, Love 10, Highsmith 9, Wright 6, Martin 5, Jovic 5.
Quarterscores: 22-23, 39-51, 69-74, 105-104.
