Miami vs. Philadelphia Game 3 Preview & Prediction

The Miami Heat had no trouble winning the first two games of their Eastern Conference playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers, who were without superstar Joel Embiid. The big question is whether he plays in Game 3 on Friday as the series shifts to Philly. The Heat are short favorites on the NBA odds.

How to Bet Heat at 76ers NBA Odds & TV Info

When: Friday, 7 PM ET
Where: Wells Fargo Center
TV: ESPN
Stream: ESPN app
Radio: Tunein.com
NBA Odds: Heat -1 (total 210.5)

Why Bet on Miami?

Miami took Game 2 119-103 at home on Wednesday. The Heat shot 14-of-29 from deep – +18 on points from threes in a 16-points game – and are now 31-2 this season when shooting at least 40 percent behind the arc.

Bam Adebayo had 23 points with nine rebounds and just one turnover. Bam, who was coming off a 24/12/4 line in Game 1, has shown up in a big way this series after an underwhelming first round vs. the Hawks.

“Both ends of the court. His relentlessness, that effort,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said of what he’s seen from his big man. Adebayo has had it easy so far against the likes of DeAndre Jordan and Paul Reed.

Jimmy Butler had 22 points, 12 assists and six rebounds. Recording his first game with double-digit assists since late January, Butler guided Miami to a strong 51.3 percent shooting from the field. Victor Oladipo ended had 19 points and six rebounds. Oladipo led Miami’s bench in scoring, knocking down multiple key shots in the second half to bury Philadelphia.

The Heat haven’t had starting point guard Kyle Lowry since he injured his hamstring in Game 3 of the first round vs. Atlanta but Lowry has been upgraded to questionable for Game 3. He will really want to play because Lowry is from Philadelphia. When Lowry does return to the Heat lineup, the team will boast perhaps the deepest playoff rotation in the NBA. One unforeseen benefit of his absence has been the rise of fellow Oladipo. With Lowry sidelined, the Heat have called on Oladipo to help fill the void. He has answered the call with double-digit scoring nights in two of his last four appearances.

The Heat are also listing Tyler Herro (ankle), Caleb Martin (ankle), Max Strus (hamstring), P.J. Tucker (calf) and Gabe Vincent (knee) as questionable but they are almost certainly going to play. Miami has been listing those guys in the entirety of the series and they all played. Perhaps a bit of gamesmanship.

Why Bet on Philadelphia?

Joel Embiid (facial fracture/concussion) is progressing well and there’s “real hope” that he plays in Game 3 on Friday. During Wednesday’s broadcast, TNT’s Chris Haynes reported that Embiid was only just able to start using a cellphone again as the brightness of it was bothering him in his post-concussion state. Embiid would not only be playing through pain with an orbital fracture, but also through a torn ligament in his thumb.

Without Embiid, Philadelphia was once again overwhelmed in Game 2. Miami dominated the paint, outrebounding Philadelphia 44-34 and getting 21 second-chance points. The 76ers again couldn’t buy a 3-pointer, going 8-for-30 in Game 2 to make the 76ers 14-for-64 from 3-point range through the first two games of this series.

Tyrese Maxey led the Sixers with 34 points in Game 2. Logging a team-high 43 minutes, Maxey carried Philadelphia offensively with fellow guards James Harden and Danny Green combining to shoot 7-for-25 from the field. Maxey has collected just three assists across two games against Miami. Green was a brutal 1-for-10. He entered the second round on an 8-for-16 tear from deep, but he’s connected on just 2-of-14 triples against Miami thus far. Harden has scored fewer than 20 points in the last five games and his three-point percentage has been just 29%.

Tobias Harris scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half, adding four rebounds, four assists, and a game-high four steals over 38 total minutes in the game. In 18 minutes off the bench, Furkan Korkmaz added eight points and six rebounds for the Sixers.

There is talk the Sixers could fire coach Doc Rivers if they are swept out of this series with or without Embiid.

Game Trends

Heat are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games following a straight up win.
Heat are 8-3-1 ATS in their last 12 games as a road favorite.
Heat are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games following a ATS win.
76ers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games following a straight up loss of more than 10 points.
76ers are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games following a straight up loss.
76ers are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 playoff games as an underdog.