The Heat host the 76ers in the play-in on Wednesday night! We now continue our NBA odds series with a Heat-76ers prediction and pick.
The Heat visit the 76ers in the biggest play-in matchup in the Eastern Conference. The Heat enter the play-in as a difficult team to predict. They have the best coach in the Eastern Conference in Erik Spoelstra and then they also have the talent to compete with anyone in the conference, let alone the entire NBA. The issue is that it has not 100% fit together at times this season. They have dealt with injuries and have had issues on offense. The key for Miami will be how Butler plays and how Adebayo can match up down low against Embiid, especially with how good the Miami defense has been as a whole.
The 76ers fell to the play-in due to Joel Embiid being injured for a large part of the season. He does everything for them and was on his way to winning another MVP award after winning it last season before getting injured. He has been practicing and is expected to play in this game for the 76ers. Tyrese Maxey has blossomed into a star, especially without James Harden this year and then Tobias Harris has stepped up too. The 76ers have the talent to compete with the Celtics at the top of the conference when they are healthy, so this should be an interesting matchup with a Heat team that always steps up in the postseason.
Here are the NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Play-In Odds: Heat-76ers Odds
Miami Heat: +4.5 (-108)
Moneyline: +164
Philadelphia 76ers: -4.5 (-114)
Moneyline: -196
Over: 208 (-112)
Under: 208 (-108)
How to Watch Heat vs. 76ers NBA Play-In
Time: 7:00 pm ET
TV: ESPN
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Heat Could Cover The Spread/Win
The Heat have the advantage over most teams in the coaching department with how good Erik Spoelstra has been during his time in Miami. They have the culture and that has lead to them having one of the best defenses in the NBA not just this season but consistently. They are the third-ranked scoring defense in the NBA, allowing 108.4 points per game. They are also fifth in defensive rating at 111.5. It is also worth noting their perimeter defense is the biggest key with the Heat having the fifth-ranked three-point shooting percentage defense at 35.3%. Bam Adebayo is the key for the Heat down low, leading the team in rebounds at 10.4 and in blocks per game at 0.9. Seven players average at least one steal per game with Delon Wright and Jimmy Butler leading the way at 1.4 and 1.3 steals per game.
On offense, the Heat have been inconsistent and it is a massive reason why they are in the play-in tournament to begin with and not higher when it comes to seeding. The Heat are 26th in scoring, averaging 110.1 points per game and they are 22nd in field goal percentage at 46.5% per game. Three players on the Heat average at least 19 points per game with Bam Adebayo averaging 19.3 points per game, while both Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler are tied for the lead at 20.8 points per game. Their offense is going to be the key in this game because they have had issues with consistency all year on this side of the ball.
Why The 76ers Could Cover The Spread/Win
The 76ers have excelled on defense this season even without Joel Embiid for part of the year. They are ninth in scoring defense, allowing 111.5 points per game, and are 11th in defensive rating at 113.0. A key factor that will show up in this game is three-point defense, where the 76ers are sixth in the NBA, allowing 35.4% from behind the arc. Joel Embiid is the key on defense down low because as good as he is on offense he is just as good on defense. He leads the 76ers in rebounds at 11 per game and then in blocks at 1.7 per game. When it comes to on-ball defense, seven 76ers average at least one steal per game with De'Anthony Melton leading the 76ers with 1.6 steals per game.
Joel Embiid is the biggest key for the 76ers on offense. They are currently 15th in scoring offense, averaging 114.6 points per game, but Embiid adds a different dimension. Embiid averages 34.7 points per game through the 39 games that he has played in during the regular season. Tyrese Maxey is the Robin to Embiid's Batman for the 76ers. He averages 25.9 points per game and leads the 76ers in assists at 6.2 per game. Tobias Harris then makes up a big three where he is third in scoring, averaging 17.2 points per game.
Final Heat-76ers Prediction & Pick
This game comes down to Joel Embiid and how healthy he is. The Heat have shot-making and can guard with the best teams in the league, but they do not have a lot of size. Bam Adebayo is great, but he does not have the size to match up one-on-one with Embiid consistently. Embiid does it all for the 76ers, so expect him to be the difference in this game. It also helps it is a home game for Philadelphia. The Heat are not going to be fazed, but the 76ers should win and advance to face the Knicks.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Final Heat-76ers Prediction & Pick: 76ers -4.5 (-114)
Follow Us
Subscribe