Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat - Predictions, Odds and Roster Notes

What: Philadelphia 76ers at Miami Heat

Where: American Airlines Arena in Miami, FL

When: Tuesday, April 9th at 7:30 PM EST

How (TV/Radio): Fox Sports Sun, NBC Sports Philadelphia | 790 The Ticket / S: WAQI 710 AM, 97.5 The Fanatic

Philadelphia 76ers (Away)

Head Coach: Brett Brown {All-Time 177-313 | PHI}

Projected Starting Five: (G) Ben Simmons – (G) JJ Redick – (F) Tobias Harris – (F) Mike Scott – (C) Joel Embiid

The Philadelphia have secured their place in the NBA Playoffs, but hold the fate of the Miami Heat in their hands based on their own performance. With a record of 50-30, the Sixers are guaranteed the third-place position in the Eastern Conference.

The Sixers have been managing their health as of late and it has affected their performance. Over their last ten games they are 5-5, showing impressive resolve in some matches but a lack of focus in others. They look to retain some consistency against the Heat, coming off of a blowout over the Bulls.

The Sixers will face off against a Miami Heat team that is putting in every effort to make the post-season. They will be scrapping for every loose ball and second-chance basket, so the Sixers will need to match that energy.

Miami Heat (Home)

Head Coach: Erik Spoelstra {All-Time 522-362 | MIA}

Projected Starting Five: (G) Goran Dragic – (G) Dion Waiters – (F) Justise Winslow – (F) Kelly Olynyk – (C) Bam Adebayo

The Miami Heat are in the toughest stage of their season, close to the end with mere games splitting them from participating in the post-season or ending Dwyane Wade’s reunion tour early. With a record of 38-42, the Heat can’t afford to lose another game for the remainder of the season.

The Miami Heat are coming off of a heartbreaking loss to the Toronto Raptors in overtime. While they had fantastic contributions across the board, it wasn’t enough to beat the Toronto Raptors who had four different players score 21 points or more.

The Heat can’t afford another poor defensive performance against the Sixers. Philadelphia doesn’t have the shooting of Toronto, but Ben Simmons creates easy opportunities for his teammates at every turn. To stop the Sixers, they have to stop the Australian point-forward.

What’s At Stake?

In 119 games the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers seem to have alternated wins and losses over the span of their histories. The Miami Heat lead the all-time series 60-59 over the Philadelphia 76ers.

A win for the Sixers would give them a three-game lead over the fourth place Celtics and knock the Miami Heat out of the playoff race.

A win for the Heat would break the tie with the Charlotte Hornets and keep them alive in the playoff race.

Questions to answer

Do the Sixers lack chemistry?

What is the bottom line for the Heat?

We are going to compare the Philadelphia 76ers and the Miami Heat in an attempt to see who has the advantage in this matchup.

The Sixers Have Failed To Perform Late

Don’t take the title to suggest that the Sixers aren’t a clutch performing team. It is, however, the current trend that the Sixers have struggled to convert on their opportunities late in games, in recent performances.

The story is the same as it has been all season in Philadelphia. There are too many alpha-personalities trying to take advantage of the game and it’s not working out. More quantitatively though, the Sixers balance with those stars on the court is poor late.

In clutch scenarios you regularly see a lineup of Simmons – Redick – Butler – Harris – Embiid. While all are offensive weapons, the only two you’d categorize as shooters are Harris and Redick. It has left the court spread wide with few true options on the perimeter. It isn’t that the Sixers can’t convert – but rather they need to find their balance, instead of relying on isolation with an imperfect lineup. Whether or not that is with their five stars on the court is yet to be seen.

The Heat Can Not Lose

The Miami Heat are coming off of a devastating loss to the Toronto Raptors that has left them with only a sliver of hope of making the playoffs. With a record of 38-42, the Heat are in the position where they cannot lose if they want to make the postseason.

Regarding the current standings, the Heat are in tenth place, below the Charlotte Hornets who own the tiebreaker over them. With two games remaining, the Heat need to hope for the Pistons and Hornets to lose the remainder of their matches while the Heat win the rest.

There is a lot of hoping involved for the Heat, but they can certainly control their play against the Sixers. The Heat match up well against Philly, as they boast both size and shooting in their frontcourt to challenge Embiid and Simmons. They lost a crucial match to Toronto and are sure to be motivated to not see the same result.

Philadelphia 76ers Roster Notes

G-F Jimmy Butler – 6 Apr 2019 – Day To Day (Back Tightness) – Butler has been ruled OUT for Saturday’s (Apr 6) game against the Bulls.

F James Ennis – 4 Apr 2019 – Out (Right Quad Contusion) – Ennis will miss at least two weeks according to Derek Bodner of The Athletic.

G Furkan Korkmaz – 26 Feb 2019 – Out (Torn Right Meniscus) – The 76ers announced that Korkmaz had surgery on his right knee. He will be re-evaluated in four weeks.

Miami Heat Roster Notes

F Ryan Anderson – 6 Apr 2019 – Out (Personal) – Anderson has been ruled OUT for Sunday’s (Apr 7) game.

G Josh Richardson – 6 Apr 2019 – Out (Hip) – Richardson has been ruled OUT for Sunday’s (Apr 7) game.

Head-to-Head: Ben Simmons (PHI) vs Dwyane Wade (MIA)

It is a matchup of the past and the future when Ben Simmons and Dwyane Wade lineup against each other. Ben Simmons will be responsible for bringing Philly’s dysfunctional offense together with his tremendous playmaking. On the other side, Wade has done all he can to get the Heat into the playoffs – it is unlikely that he will slow down now.

Ben Simmons

Point Guard | 6-10, 230lb (208cm, 104kg) | LSU | Exp. 1 Years

16.9 PPG | 7.8 APG | 8.9 RPG | 1.4 SPG | 0.8 BPG | 3.5 TOV | .562 FG% | .000 3P%

Ben Simmons has been the constant for the Philadelphia 76ers, like it or not for the other stars on the team. His playmaking ability is essential to the success of the Sixers, which they will need to stop the Heat. With the Heat playing for their season, Simmons will do well to create open opportunities for his teammates as second chances are unlikely with Bam Adebayo, Hassan Whiteside, and Kelly Olynyk patrolling the paint.

Dwyane Wade

Shooting Guard | 6-4, 220lb (193cm, 99kg) | Marquette | Exp. 15 Years

14.7 PPG | 4.1 APG | 3.9 RPG | 0.5 SPG | 0.5 BPG | 2.3 TOV | .436 FG% | .332 3P%

Dwyane Wade is apparently on a farewell tour, but based on his recent matches he is on a redemption tour as he attempts to bring the Heat back into playoff contention. Over his last five, Wade is averaging 19 points, 5 assists, and 4.6 assists per game on 28 minutes per game. He has tried to drag his team to victories but it hasn’t come to pass. If he can maintain these performances to pair with more from his team, the Heat may be able to pull off their run to the playoffs.

Philadelphia 76ers at Miami Heat Odds

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