Miami Heat vs Philadelphia 76ers 12/18/19 NBA Betting Odds and Preview

The Miami Heat travel to the City of Brotherly Love to take on the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Heat are the top team in the Southeast Division with their 19-8 record but they are coming off an upset loss to the Memphis Grizzlies last Monday night. The Sixers are the top team in the Atlantic Division heading to Tuesday’s games. Philly is 20-8 on the season and they also head to this contest with a sour taste in their mouths. The Sixers lost to the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night in a defeat that ended a five-game winning streak.

Upset by Memphis

The Miami Heat were defeated by the Memphis Grizzlies in their last outing on Monday night. Memphis was in control most of the game and the Heat rallied late to cut the deficit to three before the Grizzlies closed out strong to complete the upset. The loss forced the Heat to fall to 19-8 on the season.

Jimmy Butler leads the Heat in scoring and passing at 21.2 points and 6.8 assists per game. Bam Adebayo is having a double-double season with 15.2 points and 10.7 rebounds while rookies Kendrick Nunn and Tyler Herro are putting up 16.1 points and 14.2 points per game, respectively.

The Heat rank 10th in the NBA in scoring at 112.2 points per game this season. They are 18th off the glass with 44.7 rebounds per game and are also 9th in passing at 25.2 assists per contest. Miami has the 11th best scoring defense in the league, allowing their opponents to score an average of 107.3 points per game this season.

Win Streak is Over

The Sixers’ five-game winning streak came to an end against the Brooklyn Nets in New York. Philly made only five out of 26 three-pointers and they didn’t score more than 23 points in any quarter. That paltry offensive displayed resulted in a 20-point loss that dropped the Sixers to 20-8 on the season.

Joel Embiid is the Sixers’ main man. The Process is averaging 22.8 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game. Tobias Harris is scoring 19.7 points and grabbing 6.9 boards per outing while Ben Simmons leads the team in passing at 8.2 assists per game while also scoring 14.3 points per game.

The Sixers are 17th in the NBA in scoring at 109.3 points per game this season. They are ranked 10th in rebounding at 46.0 boards grabbed per contest and are also 4th in passing at 26.5 dimes per contest. Philadelphia has the 3rd best scoring defense in the league at 104.1 points per game allowed.

Who Wins?

The Heat are 13-5 SU in their last 18 games played. Miami is 8-7 SU in 15 games played on the road, 13-2 SU in their last 15 games played against the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia is 5-1 SU in their last six games played. The Sixers are 10-0 SU in their last 10 games played at home. Head to head, the Sixers are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games played against the Heat.

Miami is coming off a surprise loss to the Memphis Grizzlies last Monday night. Before that, the Heat won four out of five games including a 122-118 victory over the Mavericks in Dallas. I expect Jimmy Butler to step up against his former team and I think that Miami’s balanced scoring attack is going to give the Sixers a run for their money.

Philadelphia’s five-game winning streak ended with a dismal 20-point loss to the Brooklyn Nets in New York. Before that, the Sixers put up consecutive wins over the Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets. Embiid missed the Brooklyn game with an illness but he is expected to suit up against his former teammate Butler.

Sure the Sixers are undefeated in their last 10 games at the Wells Fargo Center and they have the Heat’s number in their head to head showdown. However, Erik Spoelstra is a very good head coach and he will have his team ready for this road game. I expect a close contest with both teams owning terrific defenses. At the end of the day, I will have to go with the Sixers because they are playing at home.

Prediction: Philadelphia 76ers

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Other Bets to Make

Miami is 3-1 ATS in their last five games played. The Heat are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games played on the road, and 1-4 ATS in their last five games played against the Atlantic Division. Philadelphia is 4-8 ATS in their last 12 games played. The Sixers are 7-7 ATS in 14 home games played, 5-10 ATS in their last 15 games against the Eastern Conference, and 1-8 ATS in their last nine games played against the Southeast Division. Head to head, the Sixers are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games played against the Heat. Philadelphia is also 7-1 SU in their last eight home games played against Miami.

This is going to be a big challenge for both teams. The Sixers are 10-0 SU in their last 10 games at home but they have not been able to cover in four out of their last seven home games. The Sixers are 1-8 ATS in their last nine games against the Southeast Division and the Heat are 13-7 ATS in their last 20 games against the Eastern Conference. Both teams play good defense so I don’t expect a blowout here. I think this game could go either way but I don’t see either team winning by more than five points here.

Prediction: Heat +7.5

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The total has gone over in each of the last five games played by the Heat. The total has gone under in 16 out of the 28 games played by the Sixers. The under is 8-5-1 in Philadelphia’s 14 home games played this season but the over is 12-4 in the Sixers’ last 16 Wednesday games. Head to head, the total has gone under in four out of the last six games between the Heat and Sixers.

Both these teams have very good offensive players but more than scoring, they have relied on their defense to win games this season. The Heat are the 11th best defense in the league this season and the Sixers are ranked 3rd overall in defense. Both teams average below 100 possessions per game so I don’t expect too many points here. These teams combined for only 199 points in their most recent meeting last November 23, 2019, and I think we’ll see the same kind of game here.

Prediction: Under 210

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