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The Philadelphia 76ers will take on the Miami Heat in a crucial Game 5 on Tuesday night. It's time to continue our NBA odds series and make a 76ers-Heat prediction and pick.
This series has been as good as playoff basketball gets. The Heat won the first two contests with ease, taking advantage of the fact that the Sixers were playing without superstar center Joel Embiid. However, Embiid made his return in Game 3, and the 76ers promptly won two games in a row with their best player back in the lineup, evening the series completely.
With so much on the line in Game 5, it's bound to be an entertaining contest.
Here are the 76ers-Heat NBA Playoffs odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Playoffs Odds: 76ers-Heat Game 5 Odds
Philadelphia 76ers: +2.5 (-108)
Miami Heat: -2.5 (-112)
Over: 209.5 (-110)
Under: 209.5 (-110)
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Why The 76ers Could Cover The Spread
The Heat have struggled to deal with the return of Embiid. In his first game back, the center put up a double-double, and he quickly followed that up with a 31-point double-double in Game 4. Embiid's presence has completely turned around the Philadelphia offense, as he's also made things much easier for star playmaker James Harden. Harden looked much better in Game 4, when he dropped 31 points. Harden gets so many more one-on-one opportunities with Embiid on the floor, immediately increasing the impact he can make on offense. The Sixers should continue to play well offensively with their best player on the floor.
It seems like the entire Heat roster is questionable every single time they play. However, this time they do have an important player listed as out. Starting point guard Kyle Lowry will sit on Tuesday with a hamstring injury, meaning that Gabe Vincent will likely get the start. Vincent is also questionable, and he only played 25 minutes over Games 3 and 4 as he dealt with a knee injury. While the other questionable players on Miami will likely play, the weakness at point guard could hurt them here.
Why The Heat Could Cover The Spread
Miami shot uncharacteristically poor in both of its losses in this series. The Heat only shot 35% from the field and 20% from three in Game 3, while shooting 46% overall and 20% on triples in Game 4. The Heat were the best three-point shooting team in the NBA during the regular season, so it's clear that those terrible numbers are an anomaly. Miami should improve drastically from the field, and that could be enough for them to win Game 5.
Home-court advantage has been a huge factor throughout this series. The home team has won every single contest so gar, with Miami winning both of their home games by huge margins. The 76ers also struggled on the road in the first round, going to overtime in their first game on the road against the Toronto Raptors and losing the second. Miami is yet to lose in FTX Arena, and there's a good chance that continues Tuesday night..
Final 76ers-Heat Game 5 Prediction & Pick
The Heat are the right pick here. It's highly unlikely they lose three games in a row, and home-court advantage looms large for both of these teams.
Final 76ers-Heat Game 5 Prediction & Pick: Miami Heat: -2.5 (-112)
