Sixers-Heat takeaways: Nico Batum saved the day, Joel Embiid hampered by knee injury, and more

Nico Batum is clutch.

Joel Embiid’s knee is obviously still bothering him. And Tobias Harris has to get it going on the offensive end.

Those three things stood out in the 76ers’ 105-104 victory over the Miami Heat in Wednesday’s NBA Play-In Tournament game at the Wells Fargo Center.

This night appeared to be too big for several Sixers. Batum wasn’t one of them. The reserve power forward had been locked in for this game since Tuesday, and it showed when the Sixers needed him most.

After the Heat built a 51-39 halftime lead, Batum’s shooting helped lead the Sixers’ comeback. He made 3-of-4 three-pointers to score nine points in the third quarter. With Batum leading the way, the Sixers outscored Miami, 30-23, to trail by five points heading into the fourth. He continued where he left off, scoring 8 fourth-quarter points on 3-for-6 shooting ― including 2-of-4 three-pointers. Batum finished the game with 20 points and made 6-of-10 threes, including 17 in the second half. He also finished the game with five rebounds and a clutch block.

“We knew if we lose that game, we would have another chance Friday,” Batum said of qualifying for the playoffs. “I think that was like my main motivation. I didn’t want to play Friday. I need those two days. I need those two days in between.”

The Sixers will face the East’s second-seeded New York Knicks in the first round as the seventh seed. Game 1 of the best-of-seven series will be 6 p.m. Saturday at Madison Square Garden.

“That was a big team win,” Batum added. “The crowd was into it. We played badly in the first half. Their [2-3] zone is something. We did a good job. We adjusted. I think we were more aggressive in the second half, and I tried to be more aggressive. Find a way to beat their zone and [play well] on defense, as well. That was a good win.”

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Embiid was far from his normal dominant self.

Sure, he finished with a team-high 23 points, a game-high 15 rebounds and made 9-of-10 from the foul line.

But the reigning MVP struggled from the field through three quarters, scoring 12 points on 3-of-12 shooting. He stepped up in the fourth with 11 points — including two timely threes.

He finished the night shooting 6-of-17 from the field. Unable to get to his spots and lacking his usual lift, it was obvious that Embiid’s left knee hampered him.

He returned to the Sixers on April 2 after missing two months because of a torn meniscus in his knee that required surgery. Embiid tweaked that knee Friday against the Orlando Magic and missed Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Brooklyn Nets for what the team called precautionary reasons.

“Hopefully everything gets better,” Embiid said. “But we’ll just keep managing it.”

Sixers coach Nick Nurse, noted that the seven-time All-Star blew a couple of layups in the first half. That may have been attributed to lacking his normal lift.

But, overall, Nurse felt Embiid was okay.

“I thought he competed,” he said. “I thought he competed last, especially the last few minutes. It’s not that easy. [Tyler] Herro’s coming off 100 miles per hour, and Joel has to be up on those screens. … He started rebounding the ball, which was huge.

“So I’m happy. I thought it was a good win to get under his belt.”

With the game on the line, Sixers coach Nick Nurse elected sub Kelly Oubre Jr in for Harris. As a result, Philly closed out the game with Oubre, Batum, Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Kyle Lowry.

Harris missed his lone shot attempt while playing 7 minutes, 48 seconds of the quarter. He finished the game with nine points on 4-for-10 shooting – including going 0-of-3 on three-pointers.

» READ MORE: Sixers punch playoff ticket with 105-104 win over Heat, will face Knicks in first round

Harris started off solid, scoring four points on 2-for-3 shooting in the first quarter. But he struggled in the second, missing four of five shots. That drew boos from the crowd. Then Harris made his lone shot attempt in third.

While he contributed in other ways with 10 rebounds and four assists, the team’s third-best player must provide more offense for the Sixers to have a chance in their first-round series.