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Heat Look To Stay Hot Against Visiting 76ers

Miami on Four-Game Win Streak

The Miami Heat look to extend their four-game winning streak when they take on the Philadelphia 76ers in a matchup of Eastern Conference contenders on Saturday. The opening tip for this contest is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET at FTX Arena in Miami.

Philadelphia has won eight of its last nine games, including a 111-99 victory at home over the Boston Celtics on Friday night. The 76ers are 24-17 and in second place in the Atlantic Division, trailing the first-place Brooklyn Nets by two games.

Joel Embiid shoots Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat Picks
Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images/AFP

The Heat have won four in a row, including sweeping a home-and-home series with the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday and Friday. Miami is 27-15 and atop the Southeast Division standings, leading the second-place Charlotte Hornets by 4½ games and the third-place Washington Wizards by five games.

The NBA lines have the Heat as 2½-point favorites, with the over/under set at 209½ points. If you prefer to bet online on the moneyline, you can get Miami at -140 and Philadelphia at +120.

Bouncing Back

The 76ers had their seven-game winning streak snapped by the Hornets on Wednesday night, but they bounced back with an easy win over the Celtics on Friday night that wasn’t as close as the final score indicates. The Philadelphia defense held the Celtics to 35 first-half points in building a 20-point halftime advantage and cruising from there.

As usual, the success of this team coincides with center Joel Embiid, who had 25 points and 13 rebounds in the win. Embiid had his eight-game streak of scoring at least 30 points snapped, leaving him in a tie with Allen Iverson and Wilt Chamberlain for the franchise record. Embiid is averaging 27.0 points, 10.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.4 blocks this season, making another strong case for MVP consideration.

Embiid will be a key in this one again, as Miami is without All-Star center Bam Adebayo. Embiid should be able to get plenty of production in the paint, which will lead to Heat double-teams, so he’s going to need to be able to find the open man as well as look for his own shot.

Forward Tobias Harris should benefit from the extra attention given to Embiid. Harris is second on the team with 18.3 points per game as well as grabbing 7.6 rebounds and dishing out 3.9 assists per contest.

Guard Tyrese Maxey has been filling the role of third scorer and playmaker, averaging 16.8 points while dishing out 4.4 assists per game. If he and Seth Curry (16.2 points per game) are hitting their outside shots in this one, the Heat will have trouble shutting down the 76ers.

Running Hot

The Heat have been playing as well as any team in the NBA, even with Adebayo having been out for the last 21 games following thumb surgery, but they could be getting him back after this contest. That also coincides with Miami being in the middle of a stretch in which eight of their nine games will be at home, where it is 13-4 this season.

Friday’s game saw the return of forward Jimmy Butler after a three-game absence due to a sprained ankle, and he didn’t disappoint, finishing with 23 points and leading the team’s charge in the fourth quarter. Miami held Atlanta to six field goals in the final 12 minutes, including none in the final 3:13 as the Heat rallied for the win.

Guard Tyler Herro has also been playing well, leading the team with 24 in Friday’s win. Herro is averaging 20.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game and has averaged 26.0 points over the last three contests.

With Adebayo out, rookie center Omer Yurtseven has been getting much more playing time, and he’s been a pleasant surprise. Yurtseven has averaged 12.2 points and 14.0 rebounds over the last 10 games, and his current streak of 13 straight double-digit rebound games is tied for the second-longest in franchise history.

Heat Stay Hot

Miami is getting a balanced offensive attack right now, and the team’s defense has been solid during its upswing in the standings. Philadelphia has been playing better, but we like the home-standing Heat to come away with the win in this one.

When doing your NBA betting, take Miami to win and cover at home.

Pick: Miami Heat -2½

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