Joel Embiid stars with 23-point double-double as the 76ers silence halftime boos to squeeze past Miami in NBA Play-In… Philadelphia secures 7th seed and first-round clash vs Knicks

Joel Embiid led the Philadelphia 76ers to a one-point victory over the Miami Heat in Wednesday’s Play-In game.

The reigning NBA MVP had 23 points and 15 rebounds to lead the 76ers to a 105-104 victory. Additionally, Embiid provided an all-important assist to Kelly Oubre Jr. during a three-point lead that sealed the victory.

Despite Embiid’s remarkable performance, the win was nothing short of a team effort as Nicolas Batum and Buddy Hield stepped up for Philly. Batum, who was acquired in the James Harden trade, showed off his heroics by quadrupling his season average (5.3) and recording 20 points on the night.

“Lots of cheering,” Embiid said, smiling. ‘We stayed together. It just goes to show that I’m not playing my best, that I don’t get into my position until the fourth quarter the whole game, and we still find a way to win.”

The 76ers earned the No. 7 seed and advanced to play the second-seeded New York Knicks in the opening round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Game 1 is Saturday at Madison Square Garden.

Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler scored 19 points with five assists in his team’s losing effort

Nicolas Batum exploded with 20 points after averaging less than six points per game this season

The Heat – who went from the play-in tournament to the NBA Finals a year ago – will host the Chicago Bulls on Friday night, with the winner getting the No. 8 seed.

Embiid exploded out of a quiet game late in the fourth to bring the Sixers back from 14 down in the second half. Embiid, who missed 43 games this season and finished on a surgically repaired left knee, was not a factor as Batum and Hield sparked the 76ers in the second half. Batum had 20 points.

“We won the game because of them,” Embiid said. “Those guys stepped up and we won the game.”

But when the Sixers needed big buckets, who else was there besides their big man?

Embiid buried a go-ahead 3-pointer from the top of the arc with 2:33 left in the game for a 93-91 lead that sent a crowd — which had booed the Sixers out of the building about halfway through — into delight. After the Sixers lost that lead, Embiid again had a three-point play for a 96-94 lead.

With the score tied at 96, Miami’s Tyler Herro was whistled for a backcourt foul. Embiid advanced the ball to Oubre under the basket for the bucket, the free throw and a 99-96 lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

The 76ers played this one like it was Game 7 — and for good reason. They like their chances against the upstart Knicks instead of playing for No. 8 and a date with the NBA’s best, the Boston Celtics.

Miami has a chance to secure the eighth seed in another Play-In matchup against Chicago

Kelly Oubre Jr. made a game-changing three-point play late in the fourth quarter

That’s what Miami will face if it can emerge from Friday’s game and make the playoffs for the second straight season under this format.

Herro — who hit a 3 in the final second before the 76ers lost the ball out of bounds as time expired — finished with 25 points. Jimmy Butler, perhaps slowed by a knee injury in the first half, had 19.

“We’ll do this the hard way,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “That has to be the way to go right now. We are going to rest, treat, gather around each other, get ready for Friday. Again, embrace these competitive games. It will be competitive for our home fans.”

Butler had four steals in the first half and drained two free throws after slipping and appearing to pinch his right knee, perhaps a reason why he scored just two points in the fourth. Butler said he would need an MRI on Thursday.

“I felt like I couldn’t do too much, which is bad because of the timing of the game and everything,” Butler said. ‘I hope I’m doing well. I hope I wake up tomorrow and can still stick around. At this time I cannot maintain that this is the case.’

The 76ers rallied in the third, perhaps sparked by a free fast-food chicken promotion that was triggered when the Heat missed consecutive free throws with a nine-point lead.

As the crowd roared for the first time all night, the Sixers took off, but not behind the usual suspects. Batum instead hit three threes in the quarter that beat the Sixers within one possession of a tie three times. Each time the 76ers were stymied, none worse than when Embiid was stripped on a drive that could have tied the game at 68. Kevin Love buried a 3 instead and the Heat took a 74-69 lead in the fourth.

Tobias Harris scored nine points and ten rebounds in 33 minutes of play

The 76ers will face the second-seeded Knicks in the first round of the NBA playoffs

After a few quick buckets set them up early, the Sixers relented and looked downright confused by Miami’s zone. The Sixers were passive and couldn’t find a way to dump the ball to Embiid — the 7-footer waved his arm in vain for a ball that never came. And where is his help? All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey – who had three 50-point games this season – faded, scoring just nine points in the half. He finished with 19.

Philly’s ravenous boo birds were heard early, often and never louder than when the much-maligned Tobias Harris ripped a page out of 1990s Knicks star Charles Smith’s book when he missed four – four! – give me the bucket on one asset.

Harris was on the bench in the final minutes of the game.

Going forward, they will need Harris to play close to an All-Star level. But for one game, Batum and Hield – and a good dose of Embiid – were enough for the Sixers.

“Just like we planned,” a smiling team president Daryl Morey said in the locker room.