The Philadelphia 76ers are South Beach bound this Christmas Day as they prepare to face off against the Miami Heat. What would normally be a quality matchup has an interesting wrinkle thrown in as both the Sixers and Heat will be missing their top stars.
Sixers vs. Heat Game Details
Who: Philadelphia 76ers (20-8) at Miami Heat (17-12)
When: 8:00 pm EST
Where: Kaseya Center, Miami, FL
Watch: ESPN
Sixers vs. Heat: betting info
Spread: Sixers +1.5 | Heat -1.5
Moneyline: Sixers -125 | Heat +105
Total: Over/Under 226.5
Christmas Day Disappointment
The NBA on Christmas Day strives to be among the best of sports holidays. Unfortunately for fans, both squads in today’s matchup will be shorthanded in a major way, as the Sixers will be without Joel Embiid while the Heat will be without Jimmy Butler.
What to Watch
For Philadelphia, the two major storylines will be Tyrese Maxey’s and Tobias Harris’s assertiveness. Without Joel Embiid in the lineup, expect the Sixers to play with significantly more pace and for them to look to get Tobias Harris started early to establish a sense of confidence.
To overcome a talented Miami team, the Sixers will need a serious offensive scoring punch from their defacto top duo, but the Heat will certainly not make things easy on them.
For Miami, the name of the game will be to slow down Philadelphia’s pace and bring the game to a grinding halt. Playing a two-man game through Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro will be key, but a stifling defense will be the deciding factor for the Heat.
Prediction
Sixers 113 – Heat 108
