The Philadelphia 76ers are at home for their last game before the All-Star break, taking on the Miami Heat. The Sixers were on a five-game losing streak before beating the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night while the Heat have won three of their last four games including a blowout of the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night.
Sixers vs Heat game information
Who: Miami Heat (29-25) at Philadelphia 76ers (32-21)
When: 7:00 pm EST
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia PA
Watch: NBC Philadelphia, NBA League Pass, Bally Sports Sun
Sixers vs Heat Betting information
Spread: Sixers -4 | Heat +4
Moneyline: Sixers -166 | Heat +144
Total: Over/Under 225
Latest on the Sixers
To say that 2024 has not been kind to the Sixers would be an understatement. The team has been decimated by injuries since the start of the new year and it hasn’t looked any better of late. In addition to losing reigning MVP, Joel Embiid, the Sixers haven’t had key reserve forward, Robert Covington since December 30th. Tonight, they’ll be without starters DeAnthony Melton, Nico Batum, and Tobias Harris, while newly acquired guard Kyle Lowry is out as he gears back up to playing shape.
What the Sixers have been getting the past couple of games is quality minutes from players like Paul Reed and Kenyon Martin Jr. along with newly acquired Buddy Hield and Cameron Payne. Reed had 13 points and 8 rebounds in 29 minutes to help the Sixers take down the Cavaliers on Monday night. Those are the type of stats that the Sixers are going to need nightly from Reed as he plays extended minutes with Embiid being out. The surprise of the night was KJ Martin who scored 10 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in 26 minutes, giving the Sixers a glimpse of his potential down the stretch.
Cameron Payne and Buddy Hield have stepped in and have played extremely well since coming to the Sixers at the trade deadline. Payne has averaged 13.7 points and 5.3 assists in the three games he’s played in this far and has given the Sixers a dependable backup as they look to get into the playoffs. On the other hand, Buddy Hield has stepped into a starting role and has blown expectations out of the water.
When Hield was brought in at the trade deadline, the volume and quality of his long-range shooting was going to be an added plus for the team. They knew what they were getting in the 31-year-old and while the expectations were there for him as a shooter, they didn’t expect what he’s done in his three games. In his three games, Hield is playing 37 minutes per game while averaging 22.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 6.7 assists in addition to adding 1.7 steals per game. While that may be hard to hold up over a year, Hield has shown to be a huge asset to the team. Most importantly, he’s shooting 44.8% on his three-point attempts, which is something the Sixers desperately needed.
Latest on the Heat
The Heat are coming into Philadelphia on a high note, having blown out the Milwaukee Bucks, 123-97 on Tuesday night. They have won three of their last four games as their only loss came on Sunday in a close game against the NBA-leading Boston Celtics. But, the Heat will have some problems in Philly as they’re without leading scorer, Jimmy Butler, as well as key reserve, Josh Richardson and newly acquired Terry Rozier who are both dealing with injuries.
Without the trio, the Heat were still able to run the Bucks into the ground, which isn’t a surprise as they’ve been 3-6 under new head coach, Doc Rivers. The Heat were able to take advantage of the Bucks’ poor defense to the tune of 51.7% shooting from the floor and 47.5% on their three-point attempts. To say that the Heat are a dangerous team, regardless of who’s playing, is an understatement.
Guard Tyler Herro and center Bam Adebayo are both averaging over 20 points per game for the Heat with Duncan Robinson, Jamie Jaquez Jr., and Caleb Martin all averaging in double digits scoring for the team. Adebayo is averaging a team-leading 10.8 rebounds per game while Herro is shooting 40.4% on his three-point attempts, giving the Heat a lethal inside-outside combination.
While the Heat are 11th in the league in three-point shooting at 37.9% per game, they’re only shooting 35.9% when they’re away from their home arena. They’re going to need to have just as good of a game against the Sixers if they’re going to win tonight.
What to watch for tonight
The Sixers will be rested after their Monday night win over the Cavaliers while the Heat will be on the second game of back-to-back road matchups. Both teams have some injuries to key players but the Sixers will be missing four of their five starters and that usually doesn’t end well for teams.
For the Sixers, as they’ve been facing multiple missed games from their starters, new blood has taken over and helped the team get on the right page as a unit. With Paul Reed settled into the starting lineup, he’ll provide an athletic and similarly sized center to combat the Heats Adebayo. While Adebayo scores quite a bit more than Reed, the Sixers center is settling nicely into the starting lineup.
What the Sixers will have tonight is Tyrese Maxey, Buddy Hield, and Kelly Oubre Jr., providing movement, shooting, and buckets as the three combined for 70 points, 11 rebounds, and 18 assists in the win over the Cavaliers. If the Sixers can continue to get that type of production from the trio, while awaiting the return of players like Batum and Harris, the Sixers may be in a much better position than originally thought when the team lost Embiid.
Prediction
Sixers 122 – Heat 116
AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki
