Game Time: 7:00 PM ET, Monday, March 21st, 2022 

Venue:  Well Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Where to Watch: NBA League Pass

DraftKings:  Spread:  Heat -4.5

Fanduel:  Spread:  Heat -4.5

BetMGM:  Spread: Heat -4.5

Heat: 47-24, 1st place Eastern Conference

76ers: 43-26, 2nd place Eastern Conference

An NBA battle of the two best teams in the Eastern Conference.  According to the NBA standings right now the Heat vs 76ers could be the Eastern Conference Finals preview.  Yes, there are teams that will want to have a say in that… most notably the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, and the imaginary healthy Brooklyn Nets.  Still the Heat and the 76ers have proved that having a couple all-stars… surrounding them with depth (this means quality players…not just any players Rob Pelinka.. You would have known that if you had any NBA front office experience at all) (Jeannie Buss… what is your excuse?)  will leave you with a real solid shot at winning it all.  In the Heat’s case, the all-star SF Jimmy Butler is almost the perfect star for any team… he plays defense better than he plays offense and is good for 22 ppg.  The result is Butler would fit anywhere on any team… Butler has Bam Adebayo and a cadre of shooters… this offseason brought him PG Kyle Lowry to help with the effort.  They are a veteran, talented team with quality players… they should be reckoned with.  The 76ers on the other hand have two GIANT all-stars.  C Joel Embiid is playing at an MVP level and leading the straw polls at #1 for the award.  SG James Harden has just joined the 76ers, and there is some question as to whether he can step up in important games, but there is no question that James has been a top-five player in the league every year for the last decade.  James Harden is as likely to get you 28 points as he is to get you 14 assists on any given night.  His offense is off the charts!  The 76ers should be the betting favorites to win it all. 

Miami has won 7 of their last ten games.  They went 6-4 ATS during that stretch.  What has Miami worried are the three teams that have beaten Miami over the last ten games.  The Milwaukee Bucks, the Phoenix Suns, and the Minnesota Timberwolves.  Each of those teams has something that Philly has the best of… a Top flight big man.  C Bam Adebayo is wonderful for Miami, but he is clearly undersized against the real monsters of the post.  Bam can outplay 90% of the big men in the league… but sadly it’s the top 10% that he will have to face if Miami really wants this group to get a Championship.  Shooters Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro could care less who they have to play… they will simply hit shots… it is what they do.  Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry will provide steady play and strong leadership no matter who they play… it’s what they do.  At Center Bam Adebayo needs more help than PJ Tucker and Markieff Morris standing next to him… The team needs a big man so Bam can slide to the PF spot from time to time.  

The Philadelphia 76ers have won 7 of their last ten games.  They went 4-5-1 ATS during that stretch.  They got beat by Miami back on March 5th… that just so happened to be a game that James Harden missed.  So any results from that game do not really apply except for one key result.  C Joel Embiid held Miami’s C Bam Adebayo to 6 points and 10 rebounds in 31 minutes of play, while scoring 22 points and grabbing 15 rebounds in 36 minutes himself.  Joel Embiid has Bam Adebayo’s number.  Ban is like a great middleweight fighter that has been dropped into the ring against a great heavyweight fighter… he’ll put up a fight, but Embiid will get the knockout everytime.  Philly won their last game which was against the Dallas Mavericks… yet another game where Embiid got 32 plus some rebounds and Harden got 24 plus some assists.  That seems to be the recipe for 76ers success.  The surrounding cast of PG Tyrese Maxey, SF Matisse Thybulle, and PF Tobias Harris have enough athleticism to stay on Miami’s shooters defensively and even exploit them on the other end.  Doc Rivers' challenge to get a Championship ring this year will be whether he can coach those other 3 into a seamless DEFENSIVE unit.  Any offense outside of Harden and Embiid will be cream on top… but if the unit plays lock-down defense, they won’t need much cream.

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The Miami Heat are 47-24 on the season, but 40-30-1 ATS.  They have logged 41 Overs and 30 Unders.  They are 21-15 in road games.

The Philadelphia 76ers are 43-26 on the season, but 33-34-2 ATS.  They have notched 30 Overs, 37 Unders, and 2 Push.  They are 20-15 in home games.

The Heat are 17th in scoring with 109.5 ppg, 16th in rebounds with 44.4 per game, and 13th in AST/TO ratio with 1.8.  On defense they really excel… ranked 4th while holding opponents to 104.8 ppg.

The 76ers are 20th in scoring with 108.7 ppg, 29th in rebounds with 42.2 per game, and 9th in AST/TO ratio with 1.9. On defense they rank 7th while holding opponents to 106.7 ppg.

Our prediction for Monday, March 21st is…. 76ers 118 - Miami 100

Easy big win for Philly.  Bet Philly and take the $$$.  It should not seem this simple, but Jimmy Butler is nursing a right ankle sprain.  If the team follows standard protocol it would be to not bring him back against the toughest team, but instead hold him out for the Warriors game on Wednesday. 

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(will update later tonight when numbers settle)

Heat: SF Jimmy Butler (ankle) Quest ** SG Victor Oladipo (back) Quest

76ers: PF P.J. Tucker, SF Duncan Robinson, C Bam Adebayo, SG Gabe Vincent, PG Kyle Lowry

Heat: PF P.J. Tucker, SF Duncan Robinson, C Bam Adebayo, SG Gabe Vincent, PG Kyle Lowry

76ers: PF Tobias Harris, SF Matisse Thybulle, C Joel Embiid, PG Tyrese Maxey, SG James Harden

Heat

Points: Jimmy Butler 21.1

Assists: Kyle Lowry 7.7

Rebonds: Bam Adebayo 10.3

Steals: Jimmy Butler 1.8 

Blocks: Bam Adebayo 0.8

76ers

Points: Joel Embiid 30.0 

Assists: James Harden 10.7

Rebounds: Joel Embiid 11.3

Steals: Matisse Thybulle 1.7

Blocks: Joel Embiid 1.4

Heat: Erik Spoelstra

76ers: Doc Rivers