PHILADELPHIA -- The 76ers needed all the improbable tricks they could summon to even have a chance at winning their first play-in game in team history.
Nicolas Batum hit game-shifting three-pointers. Buddy Hield was in the mix. Even the promise of free chicken nuggets was enough to revive an offense and smother the boos from Philly fans that rained inside the arena.
But in crunch time, the game came down to Joel Embiid. Always Joel Embiid.
With the NBA MVP on the court, the 76ers proved they have a shot at a long postseason run as long as he's in the lineup.
Embiid had 23 points, 15 rebounds and one huge assist to Kelly Oubre Jr. on a go-ahead three-point play that led the 76ers to a 105-104 win over the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament on Wednesday night.
"Lots of booing," Embiid said, smiling. "We stuck together. It just shows you that I don't play my best, I don't get to my spots the whole game until the fourth quarter, 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.
The Heat -- who went from the play-in tourney 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 and carried the Sixers back from 14 down in the second half. Embiid, who missed 43 games this season and finished out on a surgically repaired left knee, was a non-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 but their big man?
Embiid buried a go-ahead three-pointer from the top of the arc with 2:33 left in the game for a 93-91 lead that sent a crowd -- that had about booed the Sixers out of the building at the half -- into a frenzy. After the Sixers blew that lead, Embiid again was clutch with a three-point play for a 96-94 lead.
With the game tied 96-all, Miami's Tyler Herro was whistled for a backcourt violation. Embiid slipped the ball to Oubre under the basket for the bucket, the free throw and a 99-96 lead they would not give up.
The 76ers played this one like it was Game 7 -- and with good reason. They like their chances against the upstart Knicks rather than playing for the No. 8 seed and a date with the NBA's best, the Boston Celtics.
That's what Miami faces if it can get out of Friday's game and make the playoffs under this format for the second consecutive season.
Herro -- who hit a three-pointer 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 first-half knee injury, had 19.
"We will do this the hard way," Coach Erik Spoelstra said. "That has to be the path right now. We're going to rest up, treat up, rally around each other up, get ready for Friday. Again, embrace these competitive games. It will be competitive in front of our home fans."
Butler had four steals in the first half, and gutted out two free throws after he slipped and appeared to tweak his right knee, perhaps a reason he scored only two points in the fourth. Butler said he would need an MRI today.
"It felt like I couldn't do too much, which sucks with the timing of the game and everything," Butler said. "I hope that I'm fine. I hope that I wake up tomorrow and can still stick-and-move. Right now, I can't say that's the case."
BULLS 131, HAWKS 116
CHICAGO -- Coby White scored a career-high 42 points, and Chicago advanced in the play-in tournament, knocking out Atlanta.
White, whose previous high was 37, went hard at the rim throughout the game and had fans chanting his name down the stretch as the Bulls rolled past the Hawks.
Dejounte Murray led Atlanta with 30 points. But the Hawks came up short again after dropping their final six regular-season games.
Nikola Vucevic had 24 points and 12 rebounds for Chicago. DeMar DeRozan finished with 22 points and nine assists.
Ayo Dosunmu added 19 points after missing the final four regular-season games because of a bruised right quadricep, and the Bulls shot 56.8% from the floor.
Atlanta's Trae Young and Clint Capela each scored 22. Young, who missed 23 games late in the regular season because of a torn ligament in his left pinkie, had 10 assists but committed six turnovers. Capela grabbed 17 rebounds. Bogdan Bogdanovic added 21 points.
The Bulls were up 88-85 when Vucevic nailed a three-pointer with 4:59 left in the third quarter to kick off a 17-2 run.
White had the fans roaring when he scored on a neat spin around Young and fed a cutting Javonte Green for a dunk. White then scored on a layup following a block by Dalen Terry to make it 105-87 with 1:27 left in the third.
The Bulls led 40-22 after closing the first quarter on a 16-2 run, punctuated by Dalen Terry's dunk off a steal by Alex Caruso. Young committed five turnovers in the period.
The Hawks quickly got back into it, reeling off 14 in a row to start the second. The Bulls got the lead back up to 58-44 midway through the quarter when a rotating Dosunmu blocked De'Andre Hunter, drawing a huge roar from the crowd, and DeRozan broke for a three-point play.
At a glance
NBA PLAY-IN GAMES
FIRST ROUND
TUESDAY’S GAMES
WESTERN CONFERENCE
LA Lakers 110, New Orleans 106
LA Lakers earn No. 7 seed
Sacramento 118, Golden State 94
Golden State eliminated
WEDNESDAY’S GAMES
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Philadelphia 105, Miami 104
Philadelphia earns No. 7 seed
Chicago 131, Atlanta 116
Atlanta eliminated
SECOND ROUND
FRIDAY’S GAMES All times Central
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Chicago at Miami, 6 p.m.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Sacramento at New Orleans, 8:30 p.m.
Miami Heat's Tyler Herro, right, shoots over Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid during the first half of an NBA basketball play-in tournament game, Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler, right, shoots as he is fouled by Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid during the first half of an NBA basketball play-in tournament game Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid, left, shoots over Miami Heat's Kevin Love during the first half of an NBA basketball play-in tournament game Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
Miami Heat's Jaime Jaquez Jr., center, goes up for the dunk during the second half of an NBA basketball play-in tournament game against the Philadelphia 76ers, Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Philadelphia. The 76ers won 105-104.(AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
Philadelphia 76ers' Kyle Lowry, center, looks to pass the ball while losing his balance during the second half of an NBA basketball play-in tournament game against the Miami Heat, Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Philadelphia. The 76ers won 105-104.(AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo, right, dunks the ball with Philadelphia 76ers' Tobias Harris, left, defending during the second half of an NBA basketball play-in tournament game, Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Philadelphia. The 76ers won 105-104.(AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
Miami Heat's Delon Wright, center right, reaches for the ball against Philadelphia 76ers' Cameron Payne, left, during the second half of an NBA basketball play-in tournament game, Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Philadelphia. The 76ers won 105-104.(AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler, left, drives to the basket against Philadelphia 76ers' Nicolas Batum during the first half of an NBA basketball play-in tournament game Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo, right, dunks over Philadelphia 76ers' Paul Reed during the first half of an NBA basketball play-in tournament game Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)