PHILADELPHIA − As expected, Joel Embiid played Wednesday night in the NBA play-in tournament game against the Miami Heat.

But either he was rusty after missing the final game of the regular season on Sunday for what the Sixers called left knee recovery. Embiid had missed a little more two months from Jan. 29 until April 2 to have knee surgery.

Embiid was good enough when it mattered most, however, helping the Sixers back from a 14-point deficit to beat the Miami Heat 105-104 on Wednesday. He had a 3-pointer with 2:32 left and a three-point play with 1:47 left to put the Sixers up by 2.

But Embiid had help. Kelly Oubre's three-point play with 36 seconds left gave the Sixers a 3-point lead. Then Nicolas Batum blocked Tyler Herro's 3-point shot, and the Sixers managed to close out the win.

The Sixers will advance to the first round of the NBA playoffs against the No. 2 seeded Knicks, with Game 1 on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Embiid finished with 23 points, well below his season average of 34.7 points per game, to go along with 15 rebounds. But he had help from Batum, who came off the bench to score 20 points, mostly from long range. Batum hit six 3-pointers.

Still, it wasn't easy as Miami grabbed a 14-point lead late in the second quarter, and led by 13 midway through the third quarter before the Sixers rallied.

After starting out 3-for-20 from 3-point range, the Sixers, led by Batum, were 8-for-11 from 3-point range into the fourth quarter.

Still, it was a struggle. Embiid had just 10 points on 2-for-8 shooting in he first half, and the Sixers trailed the Heat 51-39 at halftime. As a team, the Sixers shot just 32.6% in the first half, and only 16.7% from 3-point range against the Heat's 2-3 zone.

The Heat will host a play-in game Friday night against the winner of Chicago-Atlanta game later Wednesday. The winner of that game advances to face the Boston Celtics with Game 1 on Sunday.

Batum gives Sixers 4th-quarter lead

Nicolas Batum heated up from 3-point range in the second half and so did the rest of the 76ers.

Batum made 6 of 9 threes for 18 points into the fourth quarter. His 3-pointer with 8:56 left gave the Sixers their first lead since the first quarter, at 79-76. Batum added another 3 with 8:11 left to give the Sixers an 82-78 lead.

Sixers' comeback begins with free Chick-fil-A

The Sixers trailed by as many as 13 points early in the third quarter. That's when Miami's Caleb Martin missed both free throws, guaranteeing fans free chicken nuggets. The Sixers immediately responded on a Nicolas Batum 3-pointer and a Buddy Hield layup.

Then Hield made a 3-pointer, and just like that, the Sixers were within 3 with 5:42 left in the third quarter. The Sixers got as close as 2 before Jaime Jaquez's three with 1.3 seconds left in the third quarter put Miami back up by 5.

Sixers get sloppy, fall behind by 11 in 2nd quarter

The Sixers were shooting just 28.1% when Tobias Harris missed two put-backs from close range midway through the second quarter. Miami responded on a Bam Adebayo slam, followed by Jimmy Butler's steal that led to a layup. Just like that the Sixers were down by 11 with 6:22 left in the second quarter.

But Harris and Paul Reed answered with baskets to pull the Sixers back to within 7.

Rough start for Sixers' Embiid and Heat

By the midway point of the first quarter, the Sixers led 12-4, and Miami center Bam Adebayo was on the bench with two fouls. But the Sixers couldn't sustain the lead. Jaime Jaquez's 3-pointer with 55 seconds left in the quarter tied the game at 20-20.

After a Tyrese Maxey basket with 4.1 seconds left, Jimmy Butler was fouled inside. He went down in a heap, holding his knee. After a timeout, Butler got up and sank his 1 of 2 free throws, giving Miami its first lead at 23-22.

Embiid was 1-for-4 from the field, but made 4 of 5 free throws for 6 points. Maxey led the Sixers with 7. Butler stayed in the game.

Joel Embiid will play for U.S. Olympic team

It's official, The Process is coming to Paris.

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid was among 12 players named to USA Basketball’s men’s national team that will play in the 2024 Paris Olympics this summer.

This will be the first Olympic games for Embiid, a native of Cameroon who became a U.S. citizen in 2022. He chose to play for Team USA despite also having French citizenship.

When asked if he's worried about Embiid playing considering his injury history, Sixers coach Nick Nurse said: "I think (the Olympics) are a ways away. I think he's said several times that if he is healthy at that time, he wants to play. I certainly admire him for that, and can see why.

"When it gets a little closer, we'll see how he's doing then."

How Tyrese Maxey can take Sixers far in playoffs

It's a rite of spring for the 76ers: The flowers are blooming. The sun is shining. And Joel Embiid is hurting.

In the past, it's been a death knell as the Sixers have not advanced beyond the second round of the NBA playoffs since 2001.

But this year it can be different, even though the odds are stacked against the Sixers more than ever during the Embiid playoff era going back to 2018.

That has everything to do with guard Tyrese Maxey, who has had a career year, averaging 25.9 points this season. Together, Maxey and Embiid average 60.6 points per game. The problem is they've only played in four games together since Jan. 29, when Embiid had knee surgery. He was out until April 2.

How to watch Sixers vs Heat game on Wednesday?

The Sixers-Heat game is on ESPN beginning at 7 p.m. It will also be broadcast on 97.5 The Fanatic.

What to know about the Miami Heat

The Sixers and Heat split the four-game season series this season. Miami won 119-113 on Dec. 25 and 109-104 on Feb. 14. Embiid didn't play in either game. Embiid also sat out the March 18 game, which the Sixers won 98-91. Embiid was back when the Sixers beat the Heat 109-105 on April 4.

How does the NBA play-in tournament work?

The Sixers, the No. 7 seed, host No. 8 seed Miami on Wednesday. If the Sixers win, they earn the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference and will face the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs.

If the Sixers lose, they will host the winner of the 9-10 game between the No. 9 seed Chicago Bulls and No. 10 seed Atlanta Hawks. The winner of that game on Friday would earn the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and face the No. 1 seed Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.

Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on X @Mfranknfl.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Joel Embiid leads Sixers past Heat in NBA play-in game, face Knicks next