With the first two games of the series finished, the Heat lead 2-0. After winning both home games, they’ll now travel to Philadelphia to face the 76ers. Their previous showing over the 76ers was an easy 119-103 victory. We will include this match in our bet of the day and our NBA computer picks.
They’ll likely try to repeat the same success tonight; the question is, can they? They’re in a new stadium with a hostile Philadelphia crowd.
Down two games, the Philadelphia 76ers are in must-win mode. If they lose this game, they’ll face elimination for the rest of the series. At the moment, Joel Embiid is ruled out for this game, but some say his status can change.
The good news for the 76ers is that Miami has a few players out as well. Let’s go over the game itself and build a single-game parlay for this one.
Miami Heat at Philadelphia 76ers Game Preview
As we’ve mentioned before, the Heat have one of the best defenses in the NBA. However, what’s been more impressive is how they’ve performed on offense.
On average, through the regular season, the Heat put up 109.94 points per game. For this series, they’ve upped that average to 112.50. Add this with their stingy defense, and you have a championship team.
The 76ers have struggled to get off the ground in recent games. It’s important to note that they had their struggles against the Toronto Raptors as well. However, in those games, they had Joel Embiid.
Without Embiid, the 76ers are missing the interior presence they need. Over the course of the series, the 76ers have averaged just 97.5 points per game. So, where is James Harden?
Against the Spread: Miami Heat -3
At this point, it’s hard to believe that the 76ers are going to turn this around. They don’t have the defensive ability to stop the Heat from scoring. On offense, they’re being held to under 100 points per game.
The Heat will only need to cover three points in this one, a very low margin. Considering they just beat the 76ers by 16 points, Miami should be able to cover tonight.
The Total: UNDER 210
This is another area where the defense of Miami begins to take over. In six of their last seven games, the total has gone under. With their ability to hold Philadelphia’s offense under 100 points per game, we expect tonight to go under as well.
It’s also important to note that in the first game of the series, Miami only scored 106 points. So, the best bet here is taking the under.
To Score 20+ Points: Tyrese Maxey (-225)
At the moment, the only player pulling his weight in Philadelphia is Tyrese Maxey. Maxey averaged 17.5 points per game during the regular season.
However, when facing the Miami Heat, he steps it up to 21.5 points per game. Look for Maxey to do what he can at home against the Heat tonight. If he had help from James Harden, the 76ers could win this game.
Win Margin: Miami Heat (1-10) +170
We would tack on this win margin as well since the Heat are on the road. They’ve beaten the 76ers by over 10 in the first two games, but now they aren’t at home.
With the travel involved and the boost Philadelphia should get from the crowd, we’ll go with the 1-10 win margin.