Sixers vs. Heat: Nico Batum, free chicken spark comeback win; first-round schedule vs. Knicks

The 76ers are recognized as a championship-contending team with Joel Embiid.

Perhaps that’s what added to the excitement of Wednesday night’s achievement. With Embiid back on the floor, the Sixers took their first step toward what they hope is a long postseason run.

Thanks to a big night from Nico Batum, who not only scored 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting (including 6-of-10 from deep) but also made big defensive plays, the Sixers came from 14 points down in the second half to beat the Miami Heat, 105-104, and advance to the first round of the NBA playoffs.

The Sixers, who got 23 points from Joel Embiid, now advance to face the New York Knicks, with the series set to begin Saturday at 6 p.m. at Madison Square Garden.

"Bricken for Chicken" has become a seminal element of the Sixers fan experience at the Wells Fargo Center. So when Heat forward Caleb Martin missed two free throws, fans were delighted that they would receive free chicken nuggets.

The players, who had previously been booed, appeared to feed off that energy as well, scoring 30 points in the third quarter after only converting on 39 in the first half. They put together a serious comeback effort and played with more spark, taking their first lead since 20-19 after trailing by as many as 14 points. 

The Sixers struggled in every way possible in the first half of their NBA Play-In Tournament game against the Miami Heat.

They shot poorly from three, turned the ball over, and gave up open looks on the perimeter to multiple Heat shooters. They ended the half trailing, 51-39.

The Sixers and Heat are facing off for Eastern Conference's seventh seed — and the right to take on the No. 2 seed Knicks in the first round of the playoffs. That's what the winner gets.

The loser will take on the winner of tonight's other play-in game — the Bulls vs. Hawks — on Friday night with the prize being a series against the team with the NBA's best record, the Boston Celtics.

Similar to Joel Embiid, Philadelphia’s second bananas have also largely disappointed in the playoffs over the past six seasons.

Looking again to the Game Score numbers, four of the six qualified No. 2s who suited up in the playoffs saw their average production from the regular season dip in the corresponding postseason. (The only exceptions were Simmons in 2021 — ironically enough — and Butler in 2019.) And the only No. 2 who outperformed his usual stats during the Sixers’ final series of the postseason was Butler, further reinforcing his reputation as a cold-blooded playoff assassin.

Miami Heat forward Kevin Love will be available to play tonight after leaving Sunday's game with an arm injury, according to The Athletic's Eric Koreen.

Love participated in the Heat's shootaround at Temple University this morning.

The Sixers ended the season with eight straight wins, but to enter the NBA playoffs, they’ll need one more.

Say hello to the play-in tournament, where the Sixers are making their first appearance in franchise history after finishing the season as the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference. Think of it as a playoff detour, where the Sixers have two chances to advance.

Starting in 2014, the Toronto Raptors had been to the playoffs five consecutive years under Dwane Casey, but never got out of the Eastern Conference. After getting swept in consecutive seasons by LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Raptors decided they had hit their ceiling with Casey as their coach. So they turned to assistant Nick Nurse in 2018.

Nurse not only got Toronto over the Eastern Conference hump in his first season, but he delivered the first and only NBA title in that franchise’s short history. Two important things worked in Nurse’s favor that season: LeBron bolted for Los Angeles and Kawhi Leonard hit a buzzer-beater for the ages to beat the Sixers in a wonderful seven-game series.

Joel Embiid was a full participant at Sixers practice for the second straight day on Tuesday. The reigning MVP is officially listed as questionable. But he’s expected to play tonight against the Miami Heat after missing Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Brooklyn Nets for precautionary reasons.

Reserve KJ Martin (left great toe bruise) is also questionable. The Sixers will remain without De’Anthony Melton (spine) and Robert Covington (left knee bone bruise).

» READ MORE: Sixers expect drag-out fight from Miami Heat in NBA Play-In Tournament: ‘Welcome to the NBA playoffs’

As much excitement surrounded Joel Embiid’s return — and as much as he helped reverse the downward trend of a team that went 11-18 in February and March without him — the mere fact of the Sixers’ MVP being in the lineup has not traditionally been enough to buoy Philadelphia in the postseason.

It starts with Embiid’s own performance. In the playoffs over his career, he’s seen his average Game Score (a single-number summation of box-score production) decline in five of his six postseasons, with his biggest dips coming over the past two years:

The Sixers-Heat play-in game will air on ESPN, with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m. Eastern.

Calling the game will be ESPN’s new NBA Finals crew, which includes play-by-play announcer Mike Breen alongside analysts Doris Burke and former Sixer JJ Redick. King of Prussia native Lisa Salters will report from the court.