A Battle in the City of Brotherly Love
By Wayne Davis
A showdown between the 76ers and the Heat was a high-octane clash that left fans on the edge of their seats until the final buzzer. The return of star Joel Embiid, just in time to help the 76ers reach the playoffs. Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat are no strangers to play-in games. They are ready for a heated match against an eastern conference foe.
All of the stars were in the line-up, with injuries to change the start of the game. The biggest names were ready to showcase their talents and help their team. The winner earns the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
The 1st quarter proved to be a great match-up between the two teams. It was an evenly matched quarter with both teams with a score of twenty-two points coming to the close of the quarter. In the last 2.4 seconds of the quarter, Jimmy Buckets went down with an injury to his right knee.
Butler did stay in the game and put the Heats up by one at the end of the 1st quarter. Jimmy, played the rest of the game in noticeable pain. The Miami Herald reported, after an MRI on his knee, he will be sidelined for a couple of weeks, with an MCL sprain.
The combination of Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo for the Heats team proved to be a good one-two punch. The 76ers did not have an answer for these two players. This was a much-needed contribution by these two players.
At the end of the half, the Heats had a commanding lead over the 76ers. The score was Heats 51 and the 76ers 39. This was shaping up to be a Heat win all the way.
The 76ers team came out firing on all cylinders in the third quarter. Nickolas Batum for the 76ers, was on fire. He hit three out of four three-pointers, for a nine-point third quarter. Buddy Hield was on fire for the 76ers with a pair of threes himself. This offensive barrage helped fuel the comeback of the 76ers.
With the offense clicking, the 76ers were able to come back to make this a game. They were down thirteen at one point in the third quarter. At the end of the third quarter, the score was 74-69 with the Heats having the lead.
The game shifted in the 76ers favor when Embiid fed the ball to Nicolas Batum for a three-pointer, which put the team up by four.
Coming down the stretch of the fourth quarter, the 76ers seemed to be in control. Even though Herro, had a heroic effort for the Heats, it wasn't enough. The 76ers won the game with key defensive stops by Batum and three-pointers by him as well.
The 76ers won the game with a score of 105 to 104. The win gives the 6ers teams a seventh seed in the east. The team is fully healthy and ready for the Knocks in the first round.
The loss in this game does not mean the end of the Heats. They will have one more chance to earn the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Heats team will have to play against the Chicago Bulls. The winner will get the eighth seed and a chance to play the Boston Celtics in the first round.