The Miami Heat to take on the Philadelphia 76ers for the last time

The Miami Heat will open up a two-game homestand when they host the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night.

The Miami Heat (34-31) are coming off of an 117-113 Tuesday night overtime loss to the Washington Wizards; the loss put an end to a brief two-game winning streak for the Heat.

In the loss to Washington, the Heat got off to a poor start, allowing the Wizards to begin the game on a 13-2 run. During the second quarter, the Heat managed to tie the game at 39-39, thanks to a 30-12 run sparked by the bench unit.

In the fourth quarter, down by five with just under two minutes remaining, the Heat found a way to tie the game late. Dwyane Wade converted an and-one layup, to even the score at 105. Bradley Beal missed the potential game winning jump shot, forcing an overtime period.

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Fast forward to late in the overtime period, with the Heat down by two points. Dwyane Wade got a clear look at the rim after faking out Tomas Satoransky, but unfortunately missed the shot and the Heat would lose the game.

For the 76ers (35-28), they’re coming off of an 128-114 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday. Robert Covington led them to victory with 22 points,  while Dario Saric put up 19. Joel Embiid had 18  points, five rebounds and four assists.

This will be the final game of the four-game season series between the Heat and 76ers.

Philadelphia won the first two meetings, both in Philly, (103-97 on February 2) and (104-102 on February 14). The Heat then won 102-101 on February 27, in Miami.

A Wade jumper late in the game lifted Miami over Philadelphia in the last meeting, with JJ Redick missing a wide open shot at the buzzer, that would have given the 76ers the win.

This game will be the first of a two-game homestand for the Heat, concluding Saturday against the Wizards.

It’s worth noting that Miami has won the last six meetings against the 76ers when at home. However, the Heat are a modest 5-5 in their last ten games, while the 76ers have won seven of their last ten.

As for injuries, Wayne Ellington (quad) is probable to return Thursday, while Dion Waiters (ankle) remains out for the rest of the season. The 76ers’ Furkan Korkmaz (foot) and Markelle Fultz (shoulder) both remain out indefinitely.

With just 17 games remaining on the Heat’s schedule, it’s time for Miami to come together as a team, string together some wins, rise in the standings, and build some momentum going into the playoffs.

The 76ers have certainly proven to be a tough opponent for the Heat this season, and this is an important game for both teams, so you can expect this to be yet another close and highly competitive game.

Next: Are the Miami Heat relying too much on Dwyane Wade's clutchness?

Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 PM ET.