Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons lead Sixers to second round | NBA playoffs roundup for April 24

• Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons shined again in front of rapper Meek Mill, and the dominant duo ushered the nightmares-into-dreams Process of the 76ers into the second round with a 104-91 win over the Heat.

The 76ers, winners of 10 games just two seasons ago, are in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time since 2012.

They await the winner of Milwaukee-Boston. The Celtics lead the series 3-2.

The Sixers won the series 4-1 and turned the Wells Fargo Center into the wildest house party in the city. Embiid had 19 points and 12 rebounds, Simmons had 14 points and 10 boards, and the entire team had rappers, politicians, actors and kids dancing along for the ride.

Mill made a dramatic return hours after Pennsylvania’s highest court ordered him freed while he appeals decade-old gun and drug convictions.

He was taken from prison by helicopter to Philadelphia, where he rang the ceremonial bell at the start of Game 5.

“Welcome home Meek Mill,” was about all that was heard from the public address announcer as wild cheers drowned out the rest. Mill sat courtside next to actor and noted Sixers fan Kevin Hart and Sixers co-owner Michael Rubin.

Hart grabbed the mic after the game and yelled, “Let’s give it up for Joel Embiid!”

Before the game, Mill visited privately with the Sixers in their locker room.

Hart talked trash, wandered onto the edge of the court to rile up fans and palled around with Mill as the young and gettin’ it Sixers proved they just might be the team to beat in the East.

They’ll have plenty of time to rest and recover — Embiid again played in a black mask to guard a face injury — with the other Eastern Conference playoff series expected to stretch into the weekend.

The 76ers were buzzing once Mill’s release made headline news in the city. Rubin had organized prison trips with Embiid, Simmons and Markelle Fultz, and the rapper’s songs played in the locker room and during warmups.

Simmons called Mill’s presence “amazing.”

“Just having someone that looks out for us, all of us here, it would just mean a lot for him to be back in Philly, in the city of Philadelphia with the fans, especially with a game like that tonight,” Simmons said.

• Al Horford had 22 points and 14 rebounds, Marcus Smart made an impact in his first game since mid-March and the Celtics beat the Bucks, 92-87, for a 3-2 lead in their first-round playoff series.

Smart came off the bench and had nine points, five rebounds, four assists and three blocks in his first game since undergoing right thumb surgery. He played 25 minutes wearing a protective splint and had a key assist late from the bottom of a scrum beneath three Milwaukee players.

Terry Rozier added 16 points and five assists for Boston. The home team has won all five games in the first-round series, and Game 6 is Thursday in Milwaukee.

Khris Middleton led the Bucks with 23 points, Jabari Parker added 17 points and eight rebounds, and Giannis Antetokounmpo had a series-low 16 points with 10 rebounds and nine assists.

The Celtics led by 16 before Milwaukee rallied to make it 74-70 with 7:33 left. Middleton scored later and was fouled to get Milwaukee within 84-79, but he failed to complete the three-point play.

A few possessions later, Smart managed to squeeze out a pass to Horford with three Bucks draped over him, and Horford easily dropped in a layup to make it 86-79 with 28.1 seconds left.

Milwaukee got within 87-84 after a layup by Eric Bledsoe, but the Celtics hit enough free throws the rest of the way to secure the win.

The Bucks entered the game shooting an NBA playoff-best 54 percent from the field, but they hit just 37 percent for the game (32 of 87).

Boston needed an energy boost after slow starts to Games 3 and 4, and Smart gave the Celtics exactly that.