5. Feb. 14 at Philadelphia
In the final game before the break, the Heat will take on the Philadelphia 76ers (30-18) without Joel Embiid. Whether or not they win the Bucks and Celtics games, it's still important that they get this win to feel good going into the break.
Tyrese Maxey has had an incredible year, earning him his first-ever All-Star appearance and will take the reigns from Joel Embiid until the reigning MVP returns. The Heat beat Maxey and the 76ers on Christmas Day (without Embiid) when they held Maxey to 4-for-20 shooting, one of his worst performances of the season.
To beat this undermanned 76ers team, the Heat need to throw a variety of looks at Maxey. He's a fast player, but can sometimes be too fast and doesn't develop or read the play to a higher level, though he has improved. Throwing the kitchen sink at him will make him uncomfortable.
On offense, Bam Adebayo needs to eat. Paul Reed is no scrub, but going into your third All-Star game appearance, this needs to be a game where he dominates and is felt from start to finish. A 25-and-10 night should be the minimum.
The Heat should win this one and go into the break with a W.
Prediction: Heat win
So, the prediction is for the Heat to go 3-2 in their final five games and go into the All-Star break with a 29-26 record.