Miami Heat Travel to Philadelphia to Face the 76ers

With Jimmy Butler listed on the “day-to-day” list, the Miami Heat might come in at a disadvantage here. He’ll likely play, as he has for the last few weeks, but if he’s out, it could mean trouble.

Miami relies on Jimmy Butler to do a lot of their scoring; he’s also a great defender. They’ll need all the defense they can get as they take on the Philadelphia 76ers.

The 76ers were able to overwhelm a good defense rather easily a few nights ago. They faced the Cleveland Cavaliers and came away with a 118-114 win. Joel Embiid put up 35 points along with 17 rebounds as the Cavaliers’ defense was unable to slow him down.

On Monday, he’ll look to do the same to the Miami Heat. The question is, will he be able to back down Bam Adebayo?

Game Preview: Miami Heat at Philadelphia 76ers March 21st

The Miami Heat’s offense ranks 17th in the league in points per game. On average, they put up 109.37 points a game, but it’s their defense that wins games. Ranking fourth in the NBA, the Heat allow just 104.74 points per game.

Tonight, against Joel Embiid, Bam Adebayo will be tasked with preventing Embiid from dominating. It’s a tough task, but he’s done it before.

The last game between these two teams saw Miami emerge victoriously. Considering we could be seeing another preview of the Eastern Conference Finals, this is a must-watch game. The 76ers offense has really turned up the heat since adding James Harden.

The question is, will it be enough to get them the win on Monday. More importantly, will they cover the spread here?

Miami Heat at Philadelphia 76ers Betting Prediction

As we mentioned above, the last game between these two went to Miami. The game wasn’t very long ago either, just on March 5th, 2022. Miami had the added benefit of being at home in that game as well.

They hosted the 76ers and held Philadelphia to just 82 points; the final score was 99-82. Miami was also a 5.5-point favorite in that game, so keep that in mind on this game.

The Miami Heat have an incredible defense and the 76ers number. Through their last three games against each other, the Heat are 2-1 against Philadelphia. They’ve also covered the spread in two of those three games.

However, the Heat are on the road against Philadelphia here, and that’s going to play a part. We’ll take the 76ers to come away with a win in this one.

It’s also important to note that the 76ers could come in as narrow underdogs. They’ve been the underdogs in two of the last three games against Miami. We’d also take the under here as over the last three games; the total has gone under three times.

* All odds provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.