NBA: Miami Heat vs. Philadelphia 76ers Preview, Odds, Prediction

One of the biggest matchups this Wednesday night will be the one between the Miami Heat and the Philadelphia 76ers. This event takes place at Wells Fargo Center, and both teams are coming in with massive injury problems. Also, the Heat and the Sixers suffered losses in their latest respective games. Even so, this is the clash of two teams with high ambitions and lots of stars on the roster. We expect to see an interesting and close contest.

Preview

Miami Heat (16-12, +125) come to Philly following a loss in Cleveland against the Cavaliers, 105-94. It came following back-to-back wins over the Milwaukee Bucks and the Chicago Bulls, and for some Heat fans, this failure was a big defeat. Despite missing Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, they hoped to see a victory in Ohio.

The key of the entire game was the second period, when hosts outscored the Heat 32-19. Miami had only nine free throws, which is way too few for them, and they allowed the Cavs to outrebound them, 39-42. But that is nothing odd without Adebayo on board.

PJ Tucker was the leading scorer with 23 points, nine boards, five assists, and threes, while Kyle Lowry scored 22 and had five dimes. Tyler Herro came off the bench but was below his usual productivity, posting just 12 buckets. This is by far the biggest reason for Heat’s defeat, as a fantastic shooter usually drops 20+ points each night. In this event, he didn’t have had a single three-pointer. Duncan Robinson had one in seven tries.

Philadelphia 76ers (15-13, -145) fell to Grizzlies in Memphis in the last event, 126-91, playing without Seth Curry and Joel Embiid. The two had to miss this event, and the decision about that was made a few hours before the tip-off, which most definitely disrupted Doc Rivers’ plans. 

The Sixers were inferior in almost every aspect of the play. They had 12 rebounds fewer than the Grizzlies, 50-38, they made four threes in 22 attempts, 10 fewer than the hosts who were 14-for-34, and allowed 28 fast-break points while scoring only 11. 

Tyrese Maxey had 23 points and was the top scorer for Philly. The young point guard is a treasure for this franchise, and they are so lucky to have him after the Ben Simmons saga. Tobias Harris had 12, the same as Shake Milton, while Charles Bassey added a double-double off the bench, 13 buckets, and 10 boards. 

Head to Head Games

This is the first direct meeting of the year for these crews. Last year, the 76ers ended up being better in the regular-season series, winning two and losing one event. 

Prediction

Unlike the 76ers, who are completely decapitated without Embiid and Curry, the Heat have shown us that they can play without Butler and Adebayo, beating none other than the NBA champions, the Bucks. And not only that, they posted wins over other solid teams. That is why we disagree with the bookmakers in this case, and suggest betting on the guests to win. The odds are more than generous on that +125, and it is the perfect moment for profiting from them. 

Pick: Miami Heat Wins