The Miami Heat are currently engaged in a contest for a guaranteed playoff spot after finishing the regular season just one victory away from reaching the NBA Finals.
The Heat would have to play at least one game in the play-in tournament to qualify for the official first round of the postseason if they were in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, which they are currently in.
However, Miami has opportunity and willpower to avoid the play-in, and it could help its possibilities doing as such on Thursday night when it conflicts with the host Philadelphia 76ers.
The Heat (42-37) were one game behind the Nets on Wednesday, who held the tiebreaker against Miami thanks to their three-game sweep of the season series. As a result, the Heat cannot just match Brooklyn’s record; rather, they must surpass it, making Thursday’s game essentially a must-win for them to avoid the play-in.
Things were looking depressing for Miami when it lost three straight games to close the period of Spring, however the Intensity have gotten consecutive triumphs from that point forward, including Tuesday’s 118-105 street win against the Detroit Cylinders.
After scoring 18 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter to seal the victory, Jimmy Butler put on some late-game fireworks.
Butler will be content regardless of where Miami finishes in the standings, despite the fact that he is aware of the significance of the remaining three games of the season.
Philadelphia (52-27), like the Heat, is still hopeful of making the playoffs after beating the Celtics 103-101 on Tuesday to get within two games of Boston for the No. 1 seed. 2 seed in the East.
On 20 of 25, Joel Embiid scored 52 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, marking his fifth game in his career with at least 50 points.
With 53.3 seconds remaining, Philadelphia held a six-point advantage, but the Celtics came within two with two seconds remaining. The Sixers survived the scare because Jayson Tatum missed a two-point attempt at the buzzer, but Rivers said that his team needs to clean up in the final week of the regular season.
Embiid may find it more difficult to get going against a Miami team that has been able to contain him recently. Embiid has scored more than 25 points just once in his last six games against the Heat, four of which were in the postseason. He has averaged 21.3 points in those games.
Since the teams split two games earlier this season, Thursday’s meeting will decide who will win the season series.
