Philadelphia 76ers to host Miami Heat in NBA Play-In Tournament

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The Philadelphia 76ers will host the Miami Heat in the NBA Play-In Tournament.

The game will be held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday in South Philadelphia.

The Sixers won their eighth straight game Sunday to fall just shy of earning the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference.

The 76ers expect to have Embiid, the two-time NBA scoring champion, in the lineup for the postseason.

Even with seeding that could have reached as high as fifth in the Eastern Conference at stake, the Sixers rested Embiid as a precaution vs. the Brooklyn Nets, the team said. Embiid tweaked his surgically repaired left knee in a game on Friday, the latest injury setback in a career riddled with them.

A year after he was named NBA MVP, Embiid finished the season averaging 34.7 points and 11 rebounds in just 39 games. Embiid had the statistical oddity of scoring more points than minutes played, finishing with 1,353 points in 1,309 minutes.

The 76ers clearly need a healthy -- or, healthy enough -- Embiid in the postseason to give them any shot at winning a round or more in the East. The Sixers finished 31-8 with Embiid this season; 16-27 without him.

The Heat-76ers winner earns the No. 7 seed and will face the No. 2 seed New York Knicks in Round 1 of the playoffs.

The loser will host either Atlanta or Chicago on Friday to determine the No. 8 seed.