Sixers Laying 1 Point in South Beach Against Heat
- Two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference will face off in Miami on Saturday
- The Heat beat the 76ers on December 18th by four points on the road
- Get the odds, pick, and preview for this contest below
The Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat will clash on Saturday (Dec 28 tip-off 8 PM EST) for the third time this season, with both teams winning a game apiece so far. This is Philly’s first visit to American Airlines Arena in South Beach, having played the previous two contests on home court.
The Heat have been one of the biggest surprises in the NBA so far this season, currently sitting in third place in the East with an impressive 23-8 record. Philly isn’t far behind with a 24-10 record in fourth place. Miami enters this tilt on a four game winning streak.
Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia 76ers | +1 (-110) | -105 | Ov 213 (-110) |
| Miami Heat | -1 (-110) | -115 | Un 213 (-110) |
In the latest Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat odds, Joel Embiid and co. enter this heavyweight Eastern Conference tilt as slight one-point favorites.
Miami Clicking on All Cylinders
With the addition of Jimmy Butler in the offseason, it gave the Heat a star player for Erik Spoelstra to build around. That methodology has worked wonders so far, along with numerous other players, from rookies to veterans, playing their part in South Beach.
By no surprise, Butler leads Miami in scoring, assists, and steals, dropping 20.6 points per game, while dishing out 6.6 dimes and capturing 2.2 steals per contest. Rookie Kendrick Nunn, who barely even started on a Golden State’s G-League team last year, has arguably been the most impressive first-year player considering his road to this point. The youngster is scoring 16.2 points per night while starting all 31 games for the Heat this season.
Jimmy gets buckets! ?
20pts, 8rebs, 2asts and 2stls for @JimmyButler last night.
?? #HEATHighlights pic.twitter.com/nOI1sYg8QX— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) December 24, 2019
Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Goran Dragic, and Duncan Robinson have all put up impressive stat lines as well for a Miami team who currently has the best three-point percentage in the NBA at 38.5%. Erik Spoelstra’s squad also sits in the top 10 in numerous categories throughout the league, including offensive and defensive rating, steals, assists, and field goal percentage. All around, the Heat are a fundamentally sound team that can get it done on both ends of the court.
Embiid Leading the Way in Philly
Not Ben Simmons, but Joel Embiid has been the 76ers most consistent player this season so far. The former Kansas Jayhawk is averaging 23.3 points per game and also grabbing a team-leading 12.6 boards. Embiid has also scored at least 20 points in his last nine contests, including three separate occasions where he dropped 30 or more points. Tobias Harris has been very productive for Brett Brown’s team this year as well, putting up 19.8 points per game.
No Grinch here.
31 PTS | 11 REB | 3 AST
?⤵️ pic.twitter.com/r2Fj77mgit
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) December 26, 2019
Simmons has had a rough go from a scoring standpoint, averaging just over 14 a night, but his playmaking skills have been fantastic, dishing out a team-leading 8.7 assists. They have been a very good shooting team this year, currently in the top 10 in field goal and three-point percentage. Thanks to bigs like Al Horford and Embiid, they have also collected 46.2 rebounds per game, which is eighth in the NBA.
Philly has been inconsistent at times though, losing to some weaker teams such as Orlando, Brooklyn, and Phoenix. They will need to bring their best on Saturday night against Miami in order to get a victory after yet another loss to the Magic on Friday.
Miami is Best Bet
The Heat have really impressed this year and even though Philly is a one-point favorite in this game, Miami has been outstanding at home this year, losing just once in 15 contests. The 76ers are also under .500 on the road this year. I believe the Heat will continue their dominance on home soil and pull out a victory against their Eastern Conference rivals, but it should be a close contest.
Pick: Miami -1 (-110)
Quinn Allen is a sports journalist, with a background and education in broadcast journalism (BCIT '17). He is a full-time associate editor at ClutchPoints by day, where he writes about soccer, baseball, basketball, football, and more. At night, Quinn is a frequent contributor at SBD.
