The Philadelphia 76ers looked completely cooked last night in their NBA Play-In Tournament game against the Miami Heat.

Their star, Joel Embiid, looked gassed as he hobbled up and down the court on an injured leg. Their offense seemed utterly lost against the Heat's zone defense and coughed up turnover after turnover. The crowd was actively booing their team in a game that the Sixers had to win to secure a spot in the playoffs.

Then, down 11 points midway through the third quarter, everyone in the arena won free chicken.

Philadelphia is one of several cities in the NBA that has partnered with Chick-fil-A to run the "Bricken For Chicken" promotion. The rule of the promotion is simple: If a player from the visiting team misses both their free throws on a trip to the line in the second half of a game, everyone in Philadelphia scores either a 5-count, 8-count or 12-count bucket of Chick-Fil-A nuggets.

When Heat player Caleb Martin bricked his second free throw, the Philadelphia crowd erupted in the loudest cheer they'd mustered all night. Within seconds, the Sixers scored two quick buckets (of the basketball variety) and the Heat were forced to call timeout in an attempt to quell momentum. The Sixers, who up til that point appeared lifeless and confused, suddenly were back in the game.

They went on to win 105-104 and secure a first-round series against the New York Knicks in the playoffs. The win was in large part thanks to the efforts of Nic Batum, a 16-year-veteran bench player who, after scoring 2.7 points a game in the 2023-24 season, erupted for 20 points, most of which came after Philadelphia won free chicken.

While some fans are jokingly calling for a statue to be raised in honor of Batum, others are convinced that the free chicken saved the Sixers' season.

SIXERS WENT ON A 57-45 RUN SINCE THE BRICKEN FOR CHICKEN https://t.co/ixImtjuvkv

— Barstool Philly (@BarstoolPhilly) April 18, 2024

The Sixers after the fans won free chicken pic.twitter.com/6veBrkHIhM

— BetMGM 🦁 (@BetMGM) April 18, 2024

While it's unlikely anyone on the 76ers will say the free chicken saved their season and instead give credit to the unlikely star performance of Nic Batum, many fans seem to know deep down that their free nuggies were the catalyst for last night's comeback.

Philadelphia will get at least two more chances to win free nuggets when they host the Knicks on Thursday and Sunday next week.