For the second time in as many games, the Miami Heat will face the Philadelphia 76ers after a barnburner of a game on Monday night.
Miami came away with a 101-99 win on the road behind a solid game from Jimmy Butler, and now it is at home for the second game of this home-and-home series.
These two teams are both in the playoff mix in the East, but Miami had lost four in a row before Monday’s win, slipping to seventh in the Eastern Conference.
The Sixers are in the No. 3 spot, but they’ve lost back-to-back games to Boston and Miami. This is a terrific defense matchup between the No. 5 defense (Miami) and No. 7 (Philly).
Here’s how to bet this game and the latest odds:
Sixers vs. Heat odds, spread and total
Sixers vs. Heat prediction and pick
Monday’s meeting finished with 200 total points, and yet the total in this game is up at 216.
I’m going to take the UNDER and not look back.
The profile of both of these teams is perfect for UNDERs, as they rank in the top-10 in defensive rating and both play at a slow pace. The Sixers are 26th in pace, and Miami is 28th.
Miami has also really struggled on offense this season, ranking 26th in the league in offensive rating. The Heat are No. 3 in the league in UNDERs hit (34-28 this season), and I think they try to slow this game down at home against Philly.
The Sixers have been the superior offensive team, which means Miami needs to be efficient to stay in this game, and the team shouldn’t want to run against the Sixers’ backcourt.
If this matchup is anything like Monday’s contest, the UNDER is a great bet.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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