Game Time: 8:00 PM ET, Saturday, March 5th, 2022 

Venue:  FTX Arena, Miami, Florida

Where to Watch:  NBA League Pass

DraftKings:  Spread:  PK

Fanduel:  Spread:  Miami -1

BetMGM:  Spread: Miami -1.5

76ers 38-23, 2nd place Eastern Conference

Heat 42-22, 1st place Eastern Conference

An Eastern Conference matchup built entirely to benefit the Milwaukee Bucks and the Chicago Bulls.  That’s right, when the #1 Heat play the #2 76ers either outcome benefits #3 or #4.  It either brings the whole finish closer or vaults the Bulls and Bucks back into #2 and #3.  The Philadelphia 76ers are peaking at the absolute right time to win it all!  All?... Yes, the Philadelphia 76ers traded that NOBODY Ben Simmons to the Brooklyn Nets for James Harden!  James is still one of the best scorers in the league and his ability to play off of another great player is well documented and about to be tested by the best player he has ever played with.  C Joel Embiid is the best player Harden ever played with and that shouldn’t be a diss to Brooklyn Net Kevin Durant.  Harden and KD replicated too many things to really play together… Harden hasn’t had a dominating big man with him since he played with Dwight Howard years ago in Houston and Joel Embiid is 2x as good as the Houston Dwight Howard ever was.  Down in Miami the Heat have a great team… a very deep team… but no one who can match Harden and Embiid.  Miami is the East’;s winningest team because they are the teamiest team.  Not because they have the best players they don’t.  At #1 in the East the heat should have a much smoother outlook then they have… but not this season.  This season either Philly or Milwaukke will knock the Heat out before beating the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals… and BTW… Everyone can stop holding their breath for the Brooklyn Nets to get it all together… Even if KD comes back at full strength… AND Ben Simmons finally takes the court and is willing to shoot once and awhile… They still are stuck with Kyrie Irving, who will find a way to ruin everything.

The Philadelphia 76ers have won 7 of their last ten games… but the big thing is the 4-game winning streak since adding James Harden at the All-star break. They are 6-4 ATS… but also 4-0 ATS during the 4 game winning streak.  With former MVP James Harden the 76ers aren’t just winning they are winning BIG… covering a -10.5 point spread to the Knicks and a -7.5 point spread to the Knicks and beating the Milwaukee Bucks outright as underdogs!... Yes, I know… two of those examples were the terrible New York Knicks… the 76ers see them as warm up games I promise you.  James Harden and Joel Embiid share a much better quality than high-scorer, they are both quick studies.  Joel has played with countless guys as a 76ers during the “process” and Harden has played with countless guys over the last couple seasons of big changes to his career… Neither did anything but play their regular game (discounting when James quit on Brooklyn to force the trade).  Now these two titans join forces with Tyrese Maxey, a breakout point guard and high quality SF Tobais Harris who will most likely play at the Power forward spot the rest of the way.  Will the team miss Seth Curry?... Who?

The Miami Heat have won 8 of theri last ten games.  They are 6-3-1 ATS during that stretch.  They are the brainchild of a very winning combo of Heat GM Pat Riley and Head Coach Erik Spoelstra.  That combo has built several Finals winners before… and while you weren’t paying attention Erik Spoelstra has quietly turned himself into the Coach K of the NBA.  Serious… he has rings and contenders when he is not winning rings over almost two decades… and he is young enough to put in another 10-15 years… just wait.. He’ll be in the Hall of Fame and will own unbreakable lifetime records for the Heat team and possibly for the league.  Still… will the Heat win ATS in a home game against the NBA’s new favorite darlings… the Philadelphia 76ers. Check the prediction versus the spread very closely before betting $$.

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Philadelphia is 38-23 on the season, but 31-29-1 ATS.  They have logged 27 Overs, 32 Unders, and 2 Push.  They are 21-10 in road games.

The Miami Heat are 42-22 on the season, but 37-26-1 ATS.  They have notched 38 Overs and 26 Unders.  They are 21-7 in home games.  You can not discount a home record at this point that does not yet have 10 losses.  That is a clear home court advantage.

Philadelphia is 20th in scoring (but that is all changing) with 108.5 ppg, 29th in rebounds with 42.3 per game, and 9th in AST/TO ratio with 1.9.  They rank 7th in defense while giving up 106.0 ppg to opponents… and trading Seth Curry can only help those defensive numbers.

Our prediction for Saturday, March 5th is….  76ers 118 - Heat 100

The Sixers will keep winning.  Check the spread.  The most important thing about this matchup is Joel Embiid pulling Bam Adebayo into the paint to help Omer Yurtseven on defense.  This will open things up for the happy James Harden to shoot or dish anywhere along the arc.  The Heat have great shooters but won’t be able to spread their good defense everywhere.  Look for the 76ers to win by a few points.  Also remember that the Heat injury list is active at the moment. Sucking in Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry and PJ Tucker for listings as Questionable for Saturday. So the prediction is based on 2 of those 3 guys maybe not playing.  If that is the case we get a 76er runaway.  If I’m the Heat I might hold them all back and sacrifice the win for health the rest of the way.

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The 76ers are 9-2 ATS when playing 4 or less games in a ten day span.
The Heat are 20-5 ATS after an Under.
Philly is 33-20 ATS versus Miami since 1996.

76ers: SF Tobias Harris (ill) Quest

Heat: SF Jimmy Butler (toe) Quest ** PG Kyle Lowry (personal) Quest ** SF PJ Tucker (knee) SG Victor Oladipo (knee) Out ** PF Marcus Morris (neck) Out

76ers: PF Paul Milsap, SF Matisse Thybulle, C Joel Embiid, Pg Tyrese Maxey, SG James Harden

Heat: PF Bam Adebayo, SF Max Strus, C Omer Yurtseven, PG Gabe Vincent, SG Duncan Robinson

Statistical Leaders

76ers

Points: Joel Embiid 29.8

Assists: James Harden 12.3

Rebounds: Joel Embiid 11.1

Steals: Matisse Thybulle 1.8

Blocks: Joel Embiid 1.5

Heat

Points: Jimmy Butler 21.4

Assists: Kyle Lowry 7.9

Rebounds: Bam Adebayo 10.3

Steals: Jimmy Butler 1.8

Blocks: Bam Adebayo 0.8

76ers: Doc Rivers

Heat: Erik Spoelstra