Sixers punch ticket to playoffs with narrow win over Heat, will face Knicks next

Early on, the moment appeared too big for several of his teammates. In addition, the Sixers looked shocked against Miami’s trademark zone. And the worst thing was the Heat appeared to want it more.

But the Sixers fought back from a 51-39 halftime deficit to pull within 71-69 after Cam Payne’s 3-pointer with 12 seconds left in the third quarter.

Then Embiid knotted the score at 74 on his first 3-pointer, 54 seconds into the fourth quarter. Batum gave the Sixers a 79-76 lead on his fifth 3-pointer with 8:58 to play. He hit his sixth 47 seconds later to make it an 82-78 game.

After the Heat regained the lead, Batum’s put-back closed the gap to 89-88 with 4:12 left. The lead seesawed before Embiid’s three-point play gave the Sixers a 96-94 advantage with 1:47 left.

The Heat tied the score before Kelly Oubre Jr.’s three-point play put the Sixers up 99-96 with 36 seconds remaining.

Then Batum’s blocked Herro’s 3-pointer with 24.7 seconds left. Maxey got the rebound, was fouled and converted a pair of free throws to give the Sixers a five-point cushion.

After the win, the Sixers have a tough matchup with the Knicks, having lost three of this season’s four meetings to their Atlantic Division rivals.

Knicks All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson, a former Villanova standout, averaged 22.3 points, 7.8 assists and 3.0 rebounds during those four games. However, New York will be without All-Star Julius Randle, who opted earlier this month to have season-ending shoulder surgery.

Embiid only played in the first of the teams' four meetings. He had 30 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and six turnovers in a 36-point home loss on Jan. 5.

But the new-look Sixers believe they’re better prepared to compete for a title. They also believe that they would have had one of their conference’s top seeds — instead of being a play-in team — if Embiid wasn’t sidelined for two months after tearing his meniscus in his left knee on Jan. 30.