SIXERS @ HEAT
Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat, NBA PLAYOFFS
Dave Covers Spreads, NBA FREE PICKS
Round 2 of the NBA Playoffs are kicking off and exciting matchup is taking place between the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers. The biggest story line from this game is the absence of MVP candidate Joel Embiid after suffering a orbital fracture in game 6 against Toronto. Can James Harden stand up and help Philadelphia against Jimmy Buttler and the defensive minded Heat?
Betting Trends:
- Under is 4-0 in the 76ers last 4 Conference Semifinals Games
- 76ers are 0-3-1 ATS in their last 4 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600
- Under is 5-0 in the Heats last 5 overall
- 76ers are 1-4-1 ATS in their last 6 meetings in Miami
The Philadelphia 76ers can’t seem to catch a break. Coach Doc Rivers and the team was receiving major criticism as they dropped two straight games to Toronto after being up 3-0 to start the series. Despite the “choke” history of both James Harden and Doc Rivers the 76ers managed to pull out a huge 132-97 win at Toronto to advance into the 2nd round. Injuries in sports suck, and Embiid getting elbowed in the face with under 4 minutes left is just about as unlucky as you get. Embiid was averaging 26.2 points and 11.3 rebounds per game in the series against Toronto. The question is, can the 76ers find away to make up for his absence?
The Miami Heat made light work of the Atlanta Hawks in round 1, winning the series 4 games to 1. The biggest takeaway from this round 1 series was the impact of Miami’s defence. Behind all-start Jimmy Buttler the Heat held Trae Young to just 15.4 points per game on 31.9% shooting and 18.4% from behind the arc. As a team Atlanta (one of the best offences in the league) scored just 97.4 points per game in the series.
Miami were already the series favourites before the injury to Embiid, so to see a world in which Philadelphia come out of this round is hard to imagine. Without him, James Harden will have to step up and score for the 76ers. The way Harden has looked lately, paired with this Miami Defence I can’t see a world in which Harden suddenly averages 30 points per game.
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The pace slows down dramatically in the Playoffs, pair this with Miami’s physicality and defensive as well as the absence of Embiid and Philadelphia should find themselves struggling to make baskets. The line and total aren’t good enough for me to touch in this game, so we are turning to the player markets. James Harden will undoubtedly get more chances with the rock in this game and Miami knows this, expect a strong defensive outing to be out up against Harden in this game. Expect a low scoring affair.
FREE PICK: JAMES HARDEN UNDER +26.5 points
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Thanks for reading, Dave Covers Spreads.