The Philadelphia 76ers are hosting the Miami Heat on Saturday night as they continue to battle the Nets and Raptors for a top-six position in this year’s draft. The Sixers have lost their last six straight games, most recently to the lowly Washington Wizards. The Heat currently hold the final position in the Eastern Conference for the Play-In tournament and are on a three-game winning streak.
Sixers game information
Who: Miami Heat (32-41) at Philadelphia 76ers (23-50)
When: 7:30 p.m. EST
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBA League Pass
Latest on the Sixers
While the Sixers team, as a whole, has players that have had some good games here and there, the team has been led by Quentin Grimes and Justin Edwards. While they haven’t resulted in hardly any wins, the two keep the team in most games and have been productive through a trying season.
Once considered to be a top-three draft pick coming out of high school, Edwards’s stock drastically fell in his lone season at Kentucky, and he went undrafted, signing with the Sixers shortly thereafter. As the Sixers continue to battle injuries all season, Edwards has continued to improve as he has been given more opportunity.
Over his last ten games, he’s averaged 15.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists while shooting 46.6% from the floor and 39.2% on his three-pointers. He’s proven to be a vital player for the Sixers as they head into the future.
Grimes, meanwhile, continues to see success with the Sixers. Since coming over at the trade deadline in a deal with the Mavericks, he has been better than anyone could have expected. In just 21 games with the Sixers, Grimes is averaging 22.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.3 assists while shooting 49.4% from the field and 39% on his three-point attempts. Philadelphia continues to hope they will still be able to afford to re-sign him this offseason.
Latest on the Heat
After enduring a ten-game losing streak throughout the better part of March, the Heat have found their way over the past few games and come to Philly on a three-game winning streak. With Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo leading the way, the Heat are starting to come together, and the addition of Andrew Wiggins at the trade deadline has given them a quality trio at the top of their lineup.
Herro has been leading the team with 23.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 5.6 assists while shooting 46.7% from the floor. He’s been their best player and appeared in 70 games for the Heat. Adebayo, the 6’9″ center, has averaged 17.6 points per game to go. along with 9.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists. Both have given the Heat quality, reliable players in the lineup, especially earlier in the season, as they dealt with all the issues that Jimmy Butler brought to the team before his exit at the trade deadline.
The Heat are missing quite a few players as they try to match the Sixers’ roster for the number of injuries. While Herro and Adebayo will be in for the game, Nikola Jovic, Kevin Love, Duncan Robinson, Dru Smith, and Andrew Wiggins will all be out. All of those players have contributed quite well to the team’s success, and without them, the team would normally struggle, except they’re playing the Sixers.
What to watch for tonight
With a Nets loss to the Clippers on Friday night, the Sixers now trail them by half a game in the race for the fifth-worst record in the league. If the Sixers are going to be able to keep their first-round pick in this year’s draft, protected in the first six picks, they’ll need some luck, and having the fifth-worst record in the league increases their odds. Despite both teams having a huge injury list, the Heat may have more firepower and are looking to make a late jump for their standing in the playing tournament.
The Sixers, again, will be led by Edwards and Grimes, which has turned into a good show lately despite not resulting in any success. In addition, they’ve been getting good games from Ricky Council IV, Jared Butler, Guerschon Yabusele, and Jeff Dowtin. While the play isn’t at the level that would bring them continued success over a year, the team has finally found some players who are giving excitement and quality play for a squad that’s been tortured all season.
Prediction
Sixers 118 – Heat 107
