76ers

Key takeaways from Philadelphia 76ers’ play-in win over Miami Heat 105-104

In their first Play-In Tournament game in franchise history, the Philadelphia 76ers came back from a 14-point deficit and knocked off the Miami Heat 105-104 to officially clinch the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference.

Philadelphia will face the two-seeded New York Knicks in the first round of the NBA playoffs with Game One set for a 6:00 p.m. EST tip-off at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, exclusively on ESPN.

Without further ado, here are my most significant takeaways from this Play-In tournament thriller:

76ers/Heat context notes

Joel Embiid led Philadelphia in scoring with 23 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 assists. Nicolas Batum strongly contributed 20 points and shot 6-10 from beyond the arc and Tyrese Maxey chipped in 19 points and 6 assists.

Tyler Herro dropped a game-high 25 points and 9 assists but on an inefficient 9-27 shooting from the field. Jimmy Butler had 19 points, 5 assists, and 5 steals, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. put up 15 points and 5 rebounds. 

Robert Covington (knee) and De’Anthony Melton were ruled out, while Joel Embiid (knee) and KJ Martin (toe) were good to go for the 76ers. Melton missed his second consecutive game due to a back injury that he’d been struggling with since January. 

Embiid undoubtedly returned to action after missing Philadelphia’s regular season finale against the Brooklyn Nets and Martin made his return after missing three straight games, although he logged zero minutes tonight.

For the Heat, Terry Rozier (neck) was sidelined tonight, which marked his fifth consecutive game missed and that proved to be significant for Miami as their halfcourt offense struggled without a true point guard. 

Josh Richardson (shoulder) was out, while Tyler Herro (foot), Kevin Love (ankle), and Duncan Robinson (facet) were available. 

Nicolas Batum carries 76ers

Nicolas Batum’s hot hand and FREE Chick-fil-A chicken nuggets ultimately saved the 76ers’ season. Batum caught fire in the second half where he scored 17 of his 20 points and nailed five three-pointers. 

Batum did so in spot-up fashion and exceptionally got it done in a variety of ways, simply firing off the catch, striking from above the break, and feeding off of dribble penetration from Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. This was the first time Batum had scored 20 points in his entire tenure as a 76er. 

Batum also played sound point-of-attack defense on Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro as Batum kept up laterally and sealed off driving lanes with his wingspan and physicality. Batum’s defensive versatility played a notable role in Philadelphia holding Miami to just 104 points.

Coming into this matchup, it was known by fans and the 76ers alike that Miami plays a staggering amount of zone defense, which makes it difficult for Embiid and Maxey to operate in the paint. So, spot-up shooters like Batum were essential to Philadelphia’s offense countering Miami’s zone and the veteran forward did just that.

It’s also worth noting that Batum was in the 76ers’ closing lineup consisting of himself, Lowry, Maxey, Oubre Jr, and Embiid, while Tobias Harris (9 points on 4-10 shooting) watched from the bench. With Batum instead of Harris, Philadelphia’s spacing is much better and the 76ers are a more versatile defensive unit. This lineup is certainly something that Nick Nurse should utilize going forward. 

Having Batum’s postseason experience and production as a two-way wing will continue to be a luxury as Philadelphia ventures into the postseason. The 76ers have a plethora of perimeter shooters, even without the services of De’Anthony Melton, which will only make the lives of Embiid and Maxey easier. 

76ers struggles against zone defense

In the first half, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey performed as if they’d never played against the Heat in their careers. Embiid was swarmed by zone defenders on every touch and Embiid struggled to make timely reads off the defensive attention he warranted, which led to poor shots and turnovers.

Maxey simply lacked aggression against Miami’s zone as he didn’t attack the interior, but rather stood at the top of the key and wasted the shot clock. Maxey was careless with the ball and executed poorly through entry passes and kick-outs as he was overwhelmed by defenders.

With both of the 76ers’ all-stars struggling to create offense for themselves and advantages for teammates, Philadelphia unsurprisingly totaled just 39 points at halftime as Miami used their defensive stops to run out in transition and dominate the break in a variety of ways.

However, in the second half, Embiid got into a rhythm knocking down a few threes and delivering a clutch and one basket while creating open perimeter looks for a sizzling Batum and Buddy Hield. Maxey also got going creating offense for spot-up shooters in Payne and Batum and knocking down a series of free throws that sealed the game. 

While Embiid and Maxey combined to shoot 36.6% from the field and had a pair of underwhelming performances, it’s important to note that Miami’s zone coverage may be the best defense the 76ers will face in their postseason run, although, the New York Knicks’ defense is far from easy to handle as well.

With Embiid getting his legs back game by game and Maxey getting used to aggressive postseason defensive schemes, the 76ers’ one-two punch will surely get their swagger back sooner than later, but even so, Jalen Brunson will be ready to go toe-to-toe.

Mandatory Credit: Copyright 2024 NBAE(Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)

Freshman journalism major at Temple University, NBA/76ers contributor for The Liberty Line, and owner of Sixercountry on Instagram, which has over 40,000 followers. I am aspiring to be a credentialed 76ers reporter and top NBA personality.

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