The Eastern Conference’s No. 7 76ers (47-35) will make their Play-In Tournament debut Wednesday, hosting the No. 8 Miami Heat (46-36) in South Philadelphia.
The mission is simple. Win, advance, and earn a first-round playoff matchup with the No. 2 New York Knicks (50-32).
“Our goal was to be stepping in the right direction come playoff time, and I think we’re doing that,” All-Star Tyrese Maxey said following the team’s regular season finale Sunday. “I’m proud of my guys.”
Stepping in the right direction indeed: The Sixers finished the regular season on an eight-game winning streak.
“We’re confident,” Tobias Harris said Sunday. “We know what’s at stake.”
The Sixers and Heat split their regular season series, 2-2, with Miami winning the first two matchups and Philadelphia taking the second pair.
“We’ve had some great battles with them, and always expect that versus them,” Nick Nurse said of the Sixers’ regular season performance against the Heat. “We’ve been digging in… We’ve got a good mindset and I think just take that into Wednesday.”
Miami is no stranger to the Play-In Tournament, advancing all the way to the 2023 NBA Finals as the No. 8 seed following the Play-In.
“We know what Miami’s about,” Maxey said Tuesday. “They’re going to come out extremely aggressive. They’re going to come out extremely competitive. They always do. We’ve got to go out there and match that intensity, and be above that.”
Miami won at home on Christmas, 119-113, and again on Valentine’s Day in Philadelphia, 109-104.
The Sixers won on March 18 in Philadelphia, 98-91, with Maxey leading all scorers with 30 points.
Maxey led the way once again in Philadelphia’s second win over Miami on April 4, finishing a single rebound shy of his first career triple-double, with 37 points, nine rebounds, and 11 assists. Joel Embiid added 29 points, four rebounds, and three assists in the victory.
Neither Embiid nor Miami’s Jimmy Butler suited up for any of the first three games between their teams. Butler scored 20 points, four rebounds, and five assists in his 40 minutes played in the April 4 regular season finale.
Now-76er Kyle Lowry played his first 37 games of the season for the Heat, before joining Philadelphia following the trade deadline.
In the March 18 Sixers’ win over Miami - Lowry’s first meeting with his former team - the six-time All-Star finished with 16 points, four rebounds, an assist, two steals, and a block.
OPPONENT OUTLOOK
The No. 8 Miami Heat finished the season winning seven of their closing 10 games.
Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro led Miami in scoring this season, averaging 20.8 points per game each.
Butler also averaged 5.3 rebounds, a team-high 5.0 assists, and a team-high 1.3 steals per game. Herro added 5.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game of his own.
Bam Adebayo led the Heat in rebounding (10.4 rpg) and blocks (0.9 bpg) while scoring 19.3 points per game.
76ERS-HEAT INJURY REPORT
Embiid (left knee injury recovery) and KJ Martin (left great toe contusion) are questionable for Wednesday’s Play-In, while Robert Covington (left knee bone bruise) and De’Anthony Melton (back injury recovery) are out.
For Miami, Duncan Robinson (left facet syndrome) is probable, while Terry Rozier (neck spasm) and Josh Richardson (right shoulder surgery) are out.
REGULAR SEASON SIXERS STATS
Joel Embiid
- The reigning MVP finished the regular season averaging a career-high 34.7 points, 11.0 rebounds, a career-high 5.6 assists, a career-high 1.2 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game.
Tyrese Maxey
- In his first All-Star season, Maxey finished the season averaging career-highs across the board - 25.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 1.0 steals per game.
Tobias Harris
- In his 13th NBA season, Harris averaged 17.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.0 steals per game.
- In his first season with the Sixers, Oubre Jr. finished with averages of 15.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game.
QUOTE TO NOTE
Maxey on learning from his three years of playoff experience:
“Every time you play in the playoffs, you always learn something. I think every playoff series has made me a better player. There are so many different mind games, so many different small, inside games, that you see every game.”
FOLLOW ALONG
Wednesday’s 76ers-Heat game is a 7 p.m. EDT start in Philadelphia.
Watch: ESPN / ESPN2
Listen: 97.5 The Fanatic
UNIFORMS
The Sixers are scheduled to wear their blue Icon Edition uniforms, while the Heat will wear their red Statement Edition uniforms.
@SIXERS SOCIAL