The Philadelphia 76ers won the East play-in duel against the Miami Heat and qualified for the NBA playoffs. The Heat, who were in the NBA Finals last year, now need a win against Chicago to avert the early end of the season.
The Sixers with leader Joel Embiid won their play-in duel on Wednesday evening (April 17, 2024) against last year’s finalists Miami Heat by a narrow margin of 105:104. In the first round of the playoffs, Philadelphia, seventh in the regular season, will now face Isaiah Hartenstein and the New York Knicks. The series against the Knicks begins next Saturday (local time) in New York.
Embiid leads 76ers to victory, Butler injured
Embiid, the league’s most valuable player last season, stood out for his team with 23 points and 15 rebounds. Embiid, who is not yet back in top shape after his knee operation, improved in the second half, as did the entire Sixers team, which was still 13 points behind at the start of the third quarter.
The most successful thrower at Miami was Tyler Herro (25 points). Heat top star Jimmy Butler (19 points) injured his knee early in the game and was weakened as a result; his use for the upcoming, decisive game for the playoffs is at least questionable.
Miami plays Chicago for the final playoff spot in the East
The Heat, who finished eighth in the East, still have another chance to qualify for the playoffs. To do this, last year’s finalist needs a win in the last play-in duel against the Chicago Bulls, who clearly won their duel against the Atlanta Hawks 131:116.
Coby White was the top scorer with a career-high 42 points. Nikola Vucevic recorded 24 points and 12 rebounds for the Bulls, who now have to play in Miami in the game for the last playoff ticket in the East on Friday (local time). The winner will face the Boston Celtics, the best team of the regular season, in the first round of the playoffs.
2024-04-18 05:45:13
#Basketball #NBA #76ers #playoffs #Miami #tremble
