For a half on Wednesday, Miami‘s zone defense flustered the 76ers and prompted boos from the Philadelphia crowd.
Then a hot run from 3 and a free chicken promotion sparked the 76ers and their crowd as Philadelphia rallied from a 14-point deficit to a 105-104 win over the Heat in the NBA play-in tournament.
With the win, the 76ers advance as the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs to face the No. 2 seed New York Knicks in the first round. The loss puts the Heat in Friday’s play-in elimination game against either the Chicago Bulls or Atlanta Hawks. The winner will earn the No. 8 seed. The loser’s season will be over.
Philadelphia trudged through a sluggish first half that Miami controlled en route to a a 51-39 halftime lead. The 76ers couldn’t work through or over the Heat zone as they shot 32.6% from the field and 3 of 18 (16.7%) from 3.
Philadelphia’s 11th turnover of the half allowed Miami to take a 37-26 lead, prompting a chorus of boos from the home crowd. A 9-0 Heat run capped by a Tyler Herro 3 gave Miami a 51-37 lead and prompted more boos from the home crowd. The 76ers looked done.
But the crowd woke up midway through the quarter when Miami’s Caleb Martin missed two free throws, triggering a free chicken promotion.
When the 76ers responded with a 5-0 run to cut Miami’s lead to 59-53, the fans were in a frenzy. Nicolas Batum led a 3-point onslaught that saw the 76ers go 5 of 9 from long distance in the third quarter as the 76ers cut their deficit to 74-69. Batum’s fifth 3 of the game early in the fourth gave the 76ers a 79-76 lead, their first since the first quarter.
From there, the game was a back-and-forth contest that saw Philadelphia pull away in the final minute. The 76ers hit their free throws down the stretch as Miami attempted to extend the game while trailing in the final seconds. Joel Embiid scored 11 of his 23 points in the fourth after struggling for much of the game. Batum made six 3-pointers off the bench in a 20-point, five-rebound effort.
This story will be updated.
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