Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers win in 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament

Joel Embiid (Google Images)

The 2024 NBA Play-In tournament continued on Wednesday with two more games in the Eastern Conference. In the 7-8 game, the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Miami Heat 105-104 in a tightly contested matchup, while in the 9-10 game, the Chicago Bulls trounced the Atlanta Hawks 131-116. The 76ers now have the number seven seed in the East and will play the New York Knicks. While the winner of the game between the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls will play the Boston Celtics.

In the 76ers/Heat matchup, there was some genuine concern about the health of Philadelphia star player Joel Embiid. The future American Olympian (even though he is a native of Cameroon) missed a significant chunk of the NBA regular season with a knee injury. In what initially was reported as a one month injury, turned out to be over two months.

On Wednesday, Embiid may not have been his dominant self, but was good enough. He posted a double-double (23 points and 15 rebounds). Three more 76ers reached double digits. Power forward Nicolas Batum of Liseux, France had 20 points off the bench, point guard Tyrese Maxey of Dallas, Texas had 19 points, and small forward Kelly Oubre Jr. of New Orleans, Louisiana had 11 points.

Oubre Jr. and Maxey made key buckets down the stretch. With the game tied at 96 with 90 seconds left, Maxey made four free throws, and Oubre Jr. made three free throws and a layup.

Meanwhile in Chicago, it was a dominant performance by the Bulls. The Bulls had a strong first quarter as they outscored the Hawks 40-22 and then took a commanding 20 point lead of 114-94 with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Five Bulls reached double digits in points. Guard Colby White of Goldsboro, North Carolina had 42 points, center Nikola Vucevic had 24 points and 12 rebounds, small forward DeMar DeRozan of Compton, California had 22 points, shooting guard Ayo Dosunmu of Chicago, Illinois had 19 points and small forward Javonte Green of Petersburg, Virginia had 10 points.

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