The Sixers are in Miami Monday night to take on the Heat as they continue to chase the Raptors and the Hawks for a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference.
Philadelphia has won two straight after beating the Hornets, 118-114, on Saturday, while the Heat have lost their last two games, including a 135-118 loss to the Pacers in Indiana on Sunday night.
Who: Philadelphia 76ers (41-33) at Miami Heat (39-36)
When: 7 p.m. EST
Where: Kaseya Center, Miami, FL.
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia, Peacock
This version of the Sixers is as tough a matchup for anyone in the league that they've had in several years. The team has eight games remaining in the regular season to get itself settled and comfortable playing together. The key for head coach Nick Nurse will be figuring out how to utilize players like Justin Edwards, Quentin Grimes, Jabari Walker, and Dominick Barlow so the starters don't run themselves into the ground.
The role players have stepped up when the stars were out of the lineup and shown they can contribute, but the balance is that they establish some rhythm without disrupting the starters' flow. That balance will be a key challenge for head coach Nick Nurse as the team builds chemistry heading into the playoffs. The team can't just rely on Embiid to bail them out each night; rather, it needs a focused attack that uses all four of its star players.
While Embiid's return is huge, Paul George's return to health and play may be even bigger for the team. George has had two very good games on both ends of the floor, has the playoff experience, and has looked more like the player of years past than the one that most Sixers fans have seen since his arrival. His return can really push the Sixers over the top in how they approach opposing teams, given that he instills fear on both ends of the court. The key now, as it always has been, is to remain healthy.
The Heat return home following a disastrous loss to the Pacers in Indianapolis on Sunday. Just a few short weeks ago, the team looked ready to take a leap forward, but instead, they fell right off a cliff. They've lost seven of their last eight games, all to playoff-level opponents like the Hornets, Spurs, Rockets, Cavaliers, and Magic, with two of those teams in the mix for the play-in tournament with the Heat.
Despite Tyler Herro scoring 31 points and leading six scorers in double figures, the Heat allowed the Pacers to shoot 47.6% on their three-point attempts last night. Despite ranking in the top 10 in three-point defense, the Pacers pulled away from a team that's heading in the wrong direction.
The Heat don't turn the ball over a lot, they're one of the better rebounding teams in the league, and they don't allow teams, especially ones like the Pacers, to get many good looks from beyond the three-point line, yet they're looking up at almost everyone in the playoff race. In a very congested Eastern Conference, the team hasn't been able to distinguish itself when it mattered most.
The big guns are back and healthy, which, at this point in the season, is something that no one could have imagined. Embiid, George, Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and Kelly Oubre Jr. will all have enough games to find their rhythm together as the team approaches the playoffs. Maxey, despite playing on a team with Joel Embiid, will continue to show why he's been one of the league's top scorers this season, and the surrounding squad will help open up his looks.
While the Heat have a very good defense against the three, they allow a lot of points each night, and the Sixers have the players who can take advantage of it. If the shots aren't there, utilizing ball movement and their athleticism will be key to getting penetration and interior scoring. While they don't commit a ton of fouls, the Heat could lose that battle when you're dealing with the Sixers' skilled attack.
After Bam Adebayo scored his 83 points back on March 10, the competitive nature of Joel Embiid had to have been lit on fire. Embiid has made a habit of rising for matchups against the top centers in the NBA. Expect him to be ready to assert himself over Adebayo.
Sixers 132 - Heat 118
