After a well-rounded team performance last night against the Spurs, the Philadelphia 76ers (10-5) will host the Miami Heat Saturday night at Wells Fargo Center. Opening tip-off will be at 7:30 p.m. EST.
Coverage will begin at 7 p.m. on NBC Sports Philadelphia. The game can also be caught on NBATV, as it got flexed. Radio coverage will be on 97.5 The Fanatic.
The Sixers are four-point favorites, with the over/under set at 214. For a fun betting note, the Sixers have gone over in 78.6% of games in the second half of a back-to-back since 2018.
Know your enemy: Miami Heat
Let’s push the meat and potatoes of this article (the key players) aside for now. The Miami Heat are playing like a championship-caliber basketball team.
Led by Jimmy Butler, the Heat are 11-3 so far this season. Coming into Saturday night’s matchup, they have won five straight. However, all three losses have come on the road. Miami has averaged 112.4 points per game, while only allowing 104 points a game.
The Heat may not be as talented on paper as the Sixers, but they are full of solid NBA players. Guys like Duncan Robinson, Bam Adebayo, Kendrick Nunn, and others are stepping up and playing crucial roles in the team’s success.
Both teams are entering the second leg of a back to back. The Heat just cruised past the Bulls Friday night, as the Sixers had a solid win over the Spurs. The Heat are 0-2 on no rest, as the Sixers are also winless (0-1) this season on no rest.
Now to the elephants in the room…
Jimmy Butler Makes his Return
Despite downplaying the return all well, Jimmy Butler knows for sure how intense this game is going to be. Jimmy certainly was the best fourth quarter ball-handler that Philadelphia has had since Allen Iverson, and the fans knew this. Even though his time in Philadelphia was short, he certainly made a significant impact during his tenure.
One of those impacts was the leadership and friendships developed with stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.
Joel Embiid has made it very obvious that he and Butler still talk regularly.
“It doesn’t matter, we’ve got to get the win,” the big man stated. “That’s my guy, obviously we talk a lot, but we’ve got to get the win. They(Miami) have been doing pretty good. They’re a pretty good team, so it’s going to be a challenge. We’ve got to come out and be ready like we did tonight and not mess around. At the end of the day, it’s all about winning the game.”
No matter how tight of a bond, both of these competitors know, once the ball goes in the air for tip-off, no friendships are allowed.
Josh Richardson
On a lesser note, Josh Richardson may miss this game. After being the key piece in the sign-and-trade with the Heat five months ago, J-Rich has been key in the Sixers’ success. The 26-year-old guard out of Tennessee has been dealing with a hip issue and has missed two games in a row. His status is still uncertain for tonight.
Prediction
Expect Jimmy Butler’s return to Philadelphia to be the most electrifying moment of the night. The Heat struggled in the latter portions of back-to-backs this season, going 0-2. In these two games, the Heat are averaging 11 point losses. The only notable teams the Heat have played (Lakers, Nuggets, and Bucks), the team is 1-2.
The Sixers are much more talented on paper. This will be a nailbiter for sure but expect the Sixers to win in a low scoring matchup.
Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
