David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images
After Nicolas Batum lifted the Philadelphia 76ers to a 105-104 win over the Miami Heat in the NBA play-in tournament on Wednesday, his wife shared receipts regarding complaints about his playing time.
In March 2023, a clip of a rap lyric “fourth quarter/why the f–k Batum in” went viral. (Warning: Contains NSFW language)
Lily Batum, Nicolas’ wife, used her husband’s stellar performance on Wednesday night to answer the question.
Batum had his best outing of the season to rescue the Sixers from having to play an elimination game on Friday night. He scored 20 points and went 6-of-10 from three-point range in 28 minutes off the bench.
The rest of the 76ers’ roster shot 6-of-25 from behind the arc. They trailed by as many as 14 points in the first half. Joel Embiid struggled through the first three quarters before finding a rhythm in the fourth to finish with 23 points and 15 rebounds.
Batum, who scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half, provided the spark that the Sixers needed to secure the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. This was his first time scoring at least 20 points in a game since March 27, 2023.
Philadelphia acquired Batum from the Los Angeles Clippers on Nov. 1 as part of the James Harden trade. He was a useful role player in the regular season, averaging 5.5 points while shooting 39.9 percent from three-point range in 57 appearances for the 76ers.
There was nothing to indicate Batum had the potential to take over a play-in game against the Heat, but he made his moment count to earn a spot in Philadelphia sports lore.
Batum and the Sixers will advance to the playoffs where they will take on the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in Game 1 on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET.
