Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat Prediction

The Philadelphia 76ers take on the Miami Heat in an all-important Eastern Conference battle on Tuesday night at the American Airlines Arena in Miami.

No Control Of Their Destiny

The Heat could have booked an outright playoff spot by winning their last three games. Instead, Miami suffered another frustrating loss at the hands of the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. It was Miami’s fourth straight defeat and the Heat now don’t have full control of their destiny.

Josh Richardson leads the Heat in scoring with 16.6 points per game but he has missed Miami’s last two games with a hip sprain. Dwyane Wade is averaging 14.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game for Miami. Goran Dragic is putting up 14.4 points and 4.7 assists per game while Justise Winslow and Dion Waiters have combined to average 25 points per game.

The Heat rank 25th in the league in team scoring at 105.7 points per game. Miami has the 17th best passing average at 24.3 assists per game. They are also the 9th best rebounding team in the NBA at 46.3 board hauled per contest. The Heat have the second best scoring defense among 30 NBA teams at 105.9 opponent points per game allowed.

What are the Moneyline Odds?

76ers

+127

Heat

-152

Odds from betonline.ag as of 4/09/19

Waiting For Their Opponent

While the Heat are in a must-win situation here, the Philadelphia 76ers have locked up the third seed in the Eastern Conference and are now just waiting on which team they will face in Round 1 of the 2019 NBA Playoffs. The Brooklyn Nets and the Orlando Magic are currently tied for 6th place with one game left to play. Whoever ends up with the better record or wins the tiebreaker will face Philadelphia in the first round of the East playoffs.

Joel Embiid leads the Sixers with 27.5 points, 13.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. Jimmy Butler is averaging 18.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game. The newly-acquired Tobias Harris is scoring 18.7 points and grabbing 7.8 rebounds per game while J.J. Redick is contributing 18.1 points per contest. Ben Simmons is having an excellent all-around season with 16.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game.

The Sixers are 4th in the league in team scoring at 115.3 points per game. They are ranked 4th in the passing game with 26.9 dimes issued per contest while they are also #4 off the glass with 47.8 boards grabbed per outing. Philadelphia has the 18th ranked scoring defense with 112.4 opponent points per game allowed.

Who Wins?

Philadelphia is 5-5 SU in their last 10 games played. The Sixers are 3-4 SU in their last seven games on the road. Miami is 4-6 SU in their last 10 games played. The Heat are 1-2 SU in their last three games played at home. Head to head, the Sixers are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games against the Heat. However, the Heat are 20-5 SU in their last 25 home games against the Sixers.

Miami no longer has control of their destiny. Without the tiebreaker against the Pistons and Hornets, the Heat will need Detroit to lose twice and Charlotte to drop one of its last two games to make the playoffs. That’s assuming the Heat will take care of business on their end. Philadelphia is a tough assignment but maybe the Heat are getting a break here.

On the other hand, the Sixers are already assured of their place in the postseason and may be playing without Jimmy Butler who is out with a back problem. Meanwhile, the desperate Heat will probably be without leading scorer Josh Richardson who is out with a hip injury. Comparing both possible absences, the Heat stand to lose more without their top scorer.

With Miami possibly not making the playoffs, this game could be Dwyane Wade’s last home game. In which case, a tribute is being prepared for Miami’s first franchise superstar and I expect the Heat to play with plenty of fire and emotion, regardless of whether they make it to the postseason. I think the Heat live in the moment and beat a resting Sixers team. I’m picking the Miami Heat to beat the Philadelphia 76ers on 4/9/19.

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Other Bets To Make

The Sixers are 4-6 ATS in their last 10 games played. Philly is 3-4 ATS in their last seven games played on the road. The Heat are 4-5-1 ATS in their last 10 games played and Miami is 0-2-1 ATS in their last three games played at home. Head to head, the Sixers are 5-4-1 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Heat. Philadelphia is also 3-1-1 ATS in their last five games played in Miami.

What are the Spread Odds?

76ers

+3 (-109)

Heat

-3 (-109)

Odds from betonline.ag as of 4/09/19

The Sixers are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games against their Eastern Conference rivals, 2-6 ATS in their last eight games against Southeast Division teams and 3-1-1 ATS in their last five meetings in Miami. The Heat are 1-9 ATS in their last 10 Tuesday games, 1-3-1 ATS in their last five home games and 9-3 ATS in their last dozen games against Atlantic Division teams. This game doesn’t have any bearing for the visiting Sixers but means the season for the home team Heat. In what could be D-Wade’s last home game ever, expect the Heat to come out hot. Prediction: Heat

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The total has gone over in seven out of the last 10 games played by the Sixers. The over is 4-3 in Philadelphia’s last seven games on the road. The total has gone over in three out of the last four games played by the Heat. The under is 5-1 in Miami’s last six home games. Head to head, the under is 6-4 in the last 10 meetings between the Sixers and Heat.

What are the Totals Odds?

76ers

O 219.5 (-110)

Heat

U 219.5 (-110)

Odds from betonline.ag as of 4/09/19

The Heat have one of the best defenses in the league but have been riddled by injuries and have been unable to score enough points to be an elite team this season. Right now, leading scorer Josh Richardson is out with an injury while Jimmy Butler could miss this game for the Sixers. I think Philly will be more concerned about not getting anyone hurt rather than throw the entire arsenal at the Heat. Prediction: Under

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