Miami Heat vs Philadelphia 76ers betting tips and predictions for Wednesday’s NBA Eastern Conference Playoff game on TNT. After winning Game 1 by 14 points, the Miami Heat look to go up 2-0 on the Philadelphia 776ers as the two teams meet for Game 2 at the FTX Arena tonight. Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.
Miami Heat
It wasn’t the most efficient of games for Miami in the series opener, but they still got the job done and beat the 76ers by 14 points. As a team they shot just 43% from the field and made only 9 of 36 attempts from deep, but what made the difference in the win was their rebounding as they edged out Philly by 10 on the glass. Bam Adebayo took full advantage of Embiid’s absence scoring 24 points, while newly crowned 6th man of the year Tyler Herro also had a big game with 25 off the bench.
I don’t see why Miami would change anything in Game 2, their approach has worked to perfection in the 1st Round against the Hawks and in the 1 game so far vs Philadelphia. Other players like Jimmy Butler could step up more tonight, but as long as they continue playing team basketball they’ll be in a solid position here.
Philadelphia 76ers
Tobias Harris did his best to make an impact with 27 points on very solid efficiency, but outside of him the 76ers struggled all night long shooting just 43% from the field. Similar to Miami they also struggled from three-point land connecting on just 17% of their attempts. Starting Deandre Jordan at the centre position didn’t do them any good, he finished the game with a -22 on the +/- which was the 3rd worst mark on the entire team.
Philly doesn’t have many options when Embiid goes out, they are very thin on the inside and they lack depth when they try to play small ball. James Harden scoring only 16 points and dishing out 5 assists simply isn’t enough, they traded away 3 players to get him and he just isn’t producing what is expected from him. I don’t rate Philly’s chances high in tonight’s game, they’ve won just once in their last 7 visits to Miami.
Beating anyone by 8 points in the playoffs is tough, but the Heat have done so 4 times in 6 games played this postseason. Until Joel Embiid returns, I don’t think the 76ers can get a single game from Miami who are just more deep and talented than them at the end of the day. Back the home team to cover here.
Miami Heat vs Philadelphia 76ers Predictions & Odds
Efficiency took a step back in Game 1 as both teams shot around 43% to open the series. Neither of them was particularly hot from three-point land, that might come down to them resting several days in between the series and Game 1 usually being a feel out game between opponents. I’m expecting the efficiency to go up for both sides tonight, after all, they are averaging 218.2 points per game in the last 10 meetings head-to-head.
The total has been set at a relatively low 207.5 points, there is a good chance the 76ers will try to play a faster tempo as that might be their only chance of stealing a game on the road. Out of the 16 teams that made the postseason, the 76ers rank 4th in field goal percentage averaging 48% makes per game, Miami isn’t far behind in 8th connecting on 46% of their shots. Philly also ranks 6th in three-point percentage, so I think going with the over is the smart bet in Game 2.
