The 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament continued on Wednesday with the Eastern Conference. It started with the Philadelphia 76ers hosting the Miami Heat in the seven versus eight game.
Philadelphia fell down by double digits at halftime before a hobbled Joel Embiid willed the team to a one-point victory and a first-round NBA Playoff matchup against the New York Knicks.
Later in the evening, the Atlanta Hawks visited the Chicago Bulls. Trae Young and Co. just were not up to task in what was an 15-point loss. Chicago now faces Miami in a do-or-die game Friday night. Here are 10 winners and losers from Wednesday’s NBA Play-In Tournament action.
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Winner: Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat
It’s clear that Jimmy Buckets was not 100% after suffering a knee injury late in the first quarter Wednesday night. Butler found himself on the court for several minutes writhing in pain. He remained in the game and played a big role as Miami took a double-digit lead into halftime. While the team was unable to fend off Philadelphia, Butler’s toughness showed. Sure, he only shot 5-of-18 from the field. But the 2023 playoff hero added five steals in defeat. It’ll be interesting to see if he plays Friday night against the Atlanta Hawks with a spot in the NBA Playoffs on the line. Butler is set to go undergo an MRI on Thursday.
Loser: Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
Despite advancing beyond the NBA Play-In Tournament on Wednesday, Philadelphia didn’t get nearly enough from Maxey to have confidence heading into the playoffs. The high-scoring guard shot just 6-of-16 from the field, including 1-of-6 from three point range. He also turned the ball over three times while tallying a total of 19 points. With Joel Embiid not 100%, Philly is going to need more from Maxey in the first round of the NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks. That’s for sure.
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Winner: Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
Embiid missed 29 games in the second half of the season due to a torn meniscus in his knee. He didn’t return to action until the 76ers had five outings remaining. Looking at what we saw from the reigning NBA MVP on Wednesday, it’s clear he wasn’t 100%. Despite this, Embiid willed his team to victory. That included two key three-pointers in the fourth quarter.
He then put Philadelphia up for good with less than 40 seconds remaining on a dish to Kelly Oubre Jr. that resulted in an And-1. There’s no telling how Embiid is going to look Game 1 against New York this weekend. But he did his thing in the clutch Wednesday evening as Philadelphia advanced through the NBA Play-In Tournament.
Loser: Philadelphia 76ers fans
We get it. Philadelphia did not look good in the first half of its NBA Play-In Tournament game Wednesday night. The team found itself down 12 points at halftime. At which point, fans inside the Wells Fargo Center were widely booing their team heading into intermission. It’s the MO of the Philly sports scene. But the idea of not supporting your team through thick and thin makes no sense. Sixers players recognized this and came to play big time in the second half. Perhaps, it was a nod in the direction of their fans. But we know Embiid and Co. have had issues with the faithful in the past.
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Loser: Tyler Herro, Miami Heat
Herro’s postseason struggles continued big time in Wednesday night’s loss to Philadelphia. The former NBA Sixth Man of the Year shot a mere 9-of-27 from the field, including 5-13 from inside the three-point line. Herro also turned the ball over five times. Miami finished minus-8 with him on the court. In the seven minutes that Herro sat, the team was plus-seven. That tells us everything we need to know. If he’s unable to respond Friday against Chicago, the Heat will be on their way to Cabo. It’s that obvious.
Winner: Coby White, Chicago Bulls
White’s breakout 2023-24 season continued in the NBA Play-In Tournament Wednesday night. The former top-seven pick from North Carolina was averaging 19.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists heading in. He absolutely did show up as Chicago blew out Atlanta. The guard scored a career-high 42 points on a robust 15-of-21 shooting. He also added nine rebounds, six assists and two steals in the 15-point win. If the guard plays like this Friday against Miami, these Bulls will have a fighting chance.
Winner: DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls
Dating back to his days with the Toronto Raptors and San Antonio Spurs, it has been DeRozan’s all-around floor game that has defined his career. That was no more apparent than during Chicago’s win over Atlanta Wednesday night. DeRozan shot a solid 10-of-19 from the field while scoring 22 points. But his nine assists against just one giveaway is what helped the Bulls the most. Overall, they turned the ball over a mere seven times. It’s hard to lose in today’s NBA playing such a flawless game.
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Loser: Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks
Young missed 23 games in the second half of the regular season with a torn ligament in his left pinkie. He only returned to play the Hawks’ final three outings. It was also obvious that the star guard wasn’t 100%. Even then, he did absolutely nothing to help his team against Chicago. The embattled guard shot a mere 4-of-12 from the field in 43 minutes. Young also turned the ball over six times with Atlanta finishing minus-27 with him on the court. If this is indeed it for Young in Atlanta, it was a sour note to go out on.
Winner: Dejounte Murray, Atlanta Hawks
With all eyes on Trae Young heading into Wednesday’s NBA Play-In Tournament action, it must be noted that Murray could have also played his final game in a Hawks uniform. If so, he put up a brilliant showcase for interested teams this summer. The All-Star guard scored 30 points on 11-of-21 shooting. He hit on 50% of his shots from three-point range while adding seven rebounds, six assists and two steals in the 15-point loss. This defeat certainly is not on Murray.
Loser: De’Andre Hunter, Atlanta Hawks
Hunter put up career-highs in PPG (15.6) and three-point shooting (39%) this past regular season. It had Atlanta’s brass believing he could be a core piece moving forward. That did not come to fruition Wednesday night against Chicago. The wing shot a mere 3-of-16 from the field while missing on all seven of his three-point shots. It wasn’t Klay Thompson bad. But it was pretty darn bad.