As the Eastern Conference semifinal between the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers switches locations for Game 3, the Sixers are counting on the return of likely NBA MVP Joel Embiid to get them a victory. His return hasn’t been made official yet as Embiid continues to recover from a facial injury and concussion sustained in the series clinching win over Toronto. Embiid lead the NBA during the regular season averaging 30.6 points and was fifth with 11.7 rebounds. Take that production out of the lineup in hotly contested playoff series and the Sixers are looking at an uphill battle. It doesn’t mean that can’t win without him, but the Sixers have a much better chance with Embiid on the floor.
The NBA Playoff game between the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers will air live on ESPN with tip off at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, May 6, 2022 from Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. BookMaker.eu will have betting options for every game on the NBA playoff schedule.
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Odds Analysis
At some point Miami has to be taken seriously. They don’t get much publicity despite winning 53 games and claiming the top seed in the Eastern Conference by finishing two games better than Boston, Milwaukee and the Sixers. They held off everyone in the East winning six straight games before falling in the finale after securing the top seed. They continued playing well in the postseason eliminating Atlanta in the first round in five games before opening this series with a W. All told they went 11-2 SU and 10-3 ATS in 13 games. If defense does win championships the Heat are on their way. They allowed the fourth fewest points during the regular season and allowed just 96.5 points per game in their first six playoff games cashing the UNDER in all six.
In their first playoff game this year without Embiid the Sixers looked lost falling in Game 1 to the Heat 106-92. His absence certainly had an effect on the closing betting line with Philly catching 7.5 points. The offense was going to have problems scoring without the Big Guy and the Sixers put up their second lowest point total of the postseason failing to cover the spread. The teams did cash the UNDER for the fifth time in the last six encounters. The loss also dropped Philadelphia to 6-9 in games Embiid didn’t play. Some sources say Embiid will be ready for Game 3, but the Sixers aren’t revealing anything, either out of gamesmanship or lack of knowledge. Doc Rivers said during the week he didn’t want to “get peoples hopes up.”
Miami Heat
If you look up the word ‘team’ in the NBA dictionary you’ll probably see a picture of the Heat. Despite what some teams have tried to do getting mixed results in the process, basketball is a team game that requires all five players committed to playing as one on both ends of the floor. Forgive me for the Norman Dale moment, but the Heat prove that it works.
Seven players averaged double figures in points during the regular season and anyone of them can go off at any time. It was Tyler Herro in Game 1 scoring 25 points on 4 of 6 shooting from deep. They don’t rely on one or two players for a bulk of the offense like a lot of other teams which makes them tough to defend.
Philadelphia 76ers
The key here is obviously whether or not Embiid is ready to go. It certainly would help the Sixers to have him back playing at a high level sooner rather than later. And not just for his ability to score the basketball. Without Embiid on the block, Miami’s Bam Adebayo had his way making 8 of 10 shots for 24 points. DeAndre Jordan was a good player a few years ago with the Clippers, but he had no answer in Game 1.
Scoring is a necessity against Miami’s stingy defense. James Harden will be asked to do more if Embiid isn’t available, and he should do more than he did in the opener. Harden was just 5 of 13 from the field and the Sixers were 6 of 34 from behind the arc. There is enough talent to win without Embiid, but having the MVP in the lineup makes the Sixers tougher to play against.
Heat at 76ers NBA Odds Pick
The Sixers are more than just Embiid and even if he doesn’t play I like them in this matchup. There was a game between the teams late in the season with Harden and Embiid out of the lineup and the Sixers won 113-106 as an 8-point home dog. See, they can play without their top player, and in this case their top players.
NBA Odds Prediction: Philadelphia 76ers / UNDER
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