Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Lakers were the seventh team to qualify for the Western Conference playoffs. The other half of the playoff picture is also starting to take shape. After beating the Miami Heat at home this Wednesday, the Philadelphia 76ers will face the New York Knicks, seeded No. 2, at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.
The 76ers will indeed be in the playoffs! During the Pennsylvania franchise’s 105-104 victory against the Miami Heat, Joel Embiid had a double-double of 23 points and 15 rebounds while Nicolas Batum added 20 units (six three-pointers) coming off the bench. A success which was not easy since Philly was led by 14 points during a first half where they committed 11 turnovers. The men of Nick Nurse even fell far behind at the break by 51-39.
Batum: “Wembanyama? I didn’t think he would do this in his first year…” pic.twitter.com/1dxP0Ahe50
— le10sport (@le10sport) April 10, 2024
Embiid-Batum, it works well!
However, Philadelphia’s offense came alive in the second half thanks in large part to Embiid et Batum. The Frenchman scored 14 points in the second half, while the American scored 11 in the fourth quarter alone. A duo that works and which congratulates the choices of Daryl Morey. The president of the Sixers had to find compensation for the departure of James Harden last fall. Excited to include Batum in the deal for his play, sixth man role and experience, Morey was right.
Batum turns into a savior
“He’s special,” said Embiid to journalists at the start of the season. “With the way we’re playing, he’s everything we need. A great shooter, a great defender, a great passer, a great basketball IQ. It fits everything we need. » Yet even the most ardent supporters of Batum could not have imagined what he did Wednesday night during the play-in tournament. One way to put it is that he made six 3-pointers and scored 20 points. The other way is to say he saved the Sixers’ season.
2024-04-18 08:37:10
#NBA #Playoffs #Nicolas #Batum #saves #Sixers
