The Philadelphia 76ers (20-8) will host the Miami Heat (19-7) for the second time in three weeks Wednesday night. Philadelphia is looking to stay perfect at Wells Fargo Center for the 2019-2020 campaign.
Coverage will begin at 6:30 p.m. with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPN. Radio coverage will be on 97.5 The Fanatic.
The Philadelphia 76ers are 8 point favorites with an over/under set at 209.5.
Last meeting
With Jimmy Butler making his first appearance in Philadelphia since leaving back in July, a lot of anticipation filled Wells Fargo Center. The Sixers soon lived up to the pregame hype, as Jimmy Butler was held to 11 points en route to a 27 point Sixers’ win. Philadelphia led the whole way, and stretched their lead to 41 in the second half.
Another meaningful storyline was Josh Richardson also facing his former team that night. Richardson went off for a season-high 32 points in that game, and was quoted after the game:
“Definitely a fun game… I saw my first couple of shots go through and I just was staying aggressive.”
Ben Simmons had a dominant performance and guarded Butler most of the night. Even though he scored a lackluster four points, he kept Jimmy Buckets in check all night.
It was one of the very few games that Philadelphia had all five starters, and their dominance showed.
Tale of the Tape:
Philadelphia 76ers
- 20-8 overall, 14-0 at home
- 109.3 points for per game, 104.1 points against
- Leading scorer: Joel Embiid (22.8 points per game)
- 8-2 in last 10 games
- Last game: 109-89 Loss to Brooklyn Nets
Miami Heat
- 19-7 overall, 8-6 on the road
- 112.3 points per game, 106.9 points against
- Leading scorer: Jimmy Butler (21.0 points per game)
- 7-3 in last 10 games
- Last game: SCORE win/loss against Memphis Grizzlies
Prediction:
It’s no secret that the Philadelphia 76ers always seem to allow that one random guard score an obnoxious amount of points on them. Last time these two met, it was Tyler Herro who dropped 20, however, the Sixers were able to keep the rest of the team in check.
The only thing that is of concern is if Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler are both clicking. Tag them along with Bam Adebayo dominating the glass, and the Heat could end Philadelphia’s unblemished home record.
However, this should not happen. Assuming Joel Embiid should be feeling better from his upper-respiratory infection, the Sixers’ starting five should be all systems go. This one won’t be as easy as last time, but the Heat are likely to be missing a few key pieces.
Sixers win, 106-98.
Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports
