The Miami Heat (42-22 and 1st in the Eastern Conference) are back in Miami, after a two-game road stretch, as they take on the Philadelphia 76ers (39-23 and 2nd in the Eastern Conference) at 8 pm Eastern Time.
The Heat are currently sitting two games ahead of the 76ers and are coming off a close victory against the Brooklyn Nets in their last game. Miami will look to carry that victory over to this matchup with the 76ers.
Players to Watch
Bam Adebayo will be one of the factors in this matchup for the Miami Heat. He put up 30 points, 11 rebounds, and six dimes on a superb 12-15 shooting in the last game against the Brooklyn Nets, controlling the painted area on both ends, and not allowing Brooklyn to have a chance to fight back in the fourth quarter.
He will have his hands full in this Saturday matchup though with Joel Embiid, who currently leads the NBA in points per game. However, Bam will have to continue to put up the numbers he has been and play his style on both ends if Miami is going to stay in the game.
Tyler Herro, who has been the man that leads the team coming off the bench, will be another player to watch out for. He put up 27 points against the Nets and went a perfect 10-10 from the free-throw line in the process.
He continues to impact the Miami Heat immensely with his own offense and is starting to become really adept at getting other players involved as well, tallying eight dimes in the contest. Now, at the time of this piece’s production, the status of Jimmy Butler, P.J. Tucker, and Kyle Lowry is still in limbo against the 76ers.
The Miami Heat are back at home after a two-game road stretch, taking on James Harden, Joel Embiid, and the Philadelphia 76ers.
Listed as day-to-day, for now, you don’t know if they’ll suit up Saturday but that’s alright, as you do expect them to be ready to play during the Miami Heat long home stretch. They will be at home from this game until they face Philly again on the 21st of March in Philadelphia.
Keys to the Game
1. Slow Joel Embiid And James Harden Down: Miami will have a tough test in this matchup, as after James Harden was traded to the 76ers, the two NBA All-Stars have been clicking on the same page immediately, it seems.
Miami will need to slow down these two stars and keep them from getting hot.
2. Attack The Boards: Miami will need to attack the rebounds, either on the offensive end or defensive end. They’ll need to box out, rebound the ball, put the ball back up, and score when they can off second-chance shots, as this team can put up points, so they can’t afford to waste opportunities.
3. Play To The End: Miami had to fight a Kevin Durant-led Brooklyn Nets team and came out on top as the victor. Miami has to play their team style of basketball to the end, not allowing the 76ers to even have a chance at the lead.
They might now win it wire to wire, but that mentality could carry them a long way towards another good victory over one of the East’s top competitors.
Miami Heat vs Philadelphia 76ers Odds And Prediction
Odds And Information Provided Courtesy Of WynnBET
Moneyline: MIA -120 PHI +100
Spread: MIA -1.5
Total: 221
Prediction
The Miami Heat will have their hands full in this one, as they face a team that has found their stride as of late. The 76ers will be a ton to deal with offensively and Miami will need to find a way to slow them down.
If Miami can manage to stop Embiid and Harden just enough times, which they should be able to, they will win this matchup in a close battle, 112-107. We haven’t picked the Heat to lose a ton this year and with the way this team has battled all year long, why would we?