Skip to content

Philadelphia 76ers at Miami Heat Game Preview, Odds, Picks & Predictions

Division Leaders Clash in Eastern Conference Showdown

New-Look 76ers Go For Sixth Straight Against Heat

Eastern Conference title contenders square off in Florida on Saturday night as the Philadelphia 76ers visit the Miami Heat. Philadelphia has won five in a row and leads the Atlantic Division by 2½ games over the Boston Celtics. Miami has a two-game lead over the 76ers for the top spot in the Eastern Conference heading into this one. This potential playoff preview should be a good barometer for these teams going forward, so try to determine how you should bet online on it with this closer look at the contest.

Harden Is Fitting In Nicely with 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers took a chance by trading for guard James Harden, dealing away some of their depth, and taking on a player who wasn’t happy with his situation with the Brooklyn Nets. Since coming to Philadelphia, however, Harden has been quite happy, and it’s shown in his play, as he’s averaging 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 12.0 assists in his first four games with the 76ers.

Dewayne Dedmon battles Joel Embiid for the basketball Philadelphia 76ers at Miami Heat Picks
Michael Reaves/Getty Images/AFP

Those 12.0 assists per game are key, as center Joel Embiid (29.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, 1.4 blocks) is a top NBA MVP candidate and guard Tyrese Maxey is showing that he’s a scoring threat as well. Maxey is averaging 17.6 points per game and is coming off a 33-point performance in a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night.

“I don’t think we look at it as Big 3, Big 2,” Maxey said after Friday’s win. “I think we look at it as one unit.”

Throw in forward Tobias Harris and his 18.1 points per game, and the 76ers have plenty of weapons offensively. They’ll need those against a Miami Heat team that is fifth in the league in scoring defense at 105.0 points per game, though the 76ers did just put 125 on Cleveland, which has the league’s top-scoring defense.

Heat Thriving Despite Multiple Absences

When the Miami Heat are completely healthy and together, they are one of the most dangerous teams in the NBA. Unfortunately, being completely healthy and together has been hard for the team this season, but it is still atop the Eastern Conference in the early days of March.

Forward Jimmy Butler is averaging 21.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game, but he sat out the Heat’s victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday with a toe injury that has him questionable for this one. Guard Kyle Lowry is definitely out of this one for personal reasons, his second straight absence from the Miami lineup.

Center Bam Adebayo will have the task of matching up with Embiid, and Abebayo has had success in the past. Adebayo is averaging 19.2 points and 10.3 rebounds, and he had 30 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists in Thursday’s win.

Another key to Miami success is guard Tyler Herro, who will likely draw the defensive assignment on Harden if Butler can’t go. Herro is scoring 20.6 points per game and shooting 38.2% from 3-point range this season.

Philadelphia 76ers at Miami Heat Head-to-Head

The road team has won each of the first two matchups between these teams this season, including the Philadelphia 76ers taking the last meeting in mid-January in Miami. The home team had won five in a row in this series prior to the 2021-22 campaign.

The Miami Heat have a slight 66-63 advantage in the all-time series between the two teams, though this 76ers squad is completely different from many in the past. Philadelphia is playing great since the arrival of Harden, which makes the NBA lines favoring the Heat in this one a bit of a surprise.

Philadelphia 76ers at Miami Heat Game Information

Game: Philadelphia 76ers (39-23) at Miami Heat (42-22)

Location: FTX Arena

Day/Time: Saturday, 8 p.m. ET

Philadelphia 76ers at Miami Heat Betting Lines

Philadelphia 76ers at Miami Heat Prediction

At full strength, the Miami Heat are a tough matchup for any team, especially at home, where they are 21-7. Without Lowry and possibly Butler, it’s going to be hard for the Heat to hang with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Philadelphia looks like it’s poised for a long postseason run, but this will be a big test for the newly-constructed lineup. Embiid and Harden should be able to keep the 76ers rolling in this one, though, making a statement against the Eastern Conference’s best.

When making your NBA picks, take Philadelphia to win outright on the road.

Pick: Philadelphia 76ers +2 (-110)

Did you find this article interesting?

Comments (0)

Featured Picks

Related News