Heat and Sixers Play To Stay Out of the Play-Ins
Heat vs 76ers Odds, Matchup and More
The Play-In Tournament, an anti-tanking and pro-money creation by the NBA, has worked wonders. It has produced some of the most fun playoff moments of the last few years and created a more competitive regular season. This Monday’s game will be a battle of two teams fighting to escape the Play-In.
The Philadelphia 76ers started the season looking like title contenders behind Joel Embiid’s incredible play. But since his injury, the Sixers have fallen from the top of the Eastern Conference to the eighth seed. With Embiid out of the lineup, the Sixers are 11-22, and continue to face injuries. They have only won two games in their last seven, beating the lowly Charlotte Hornets and a hobbled New York Knicks.
The Heat have also been dealing with injury concerns this season but have stayed in the mix. Every time it seems like they don’t have it anymore, their core duo of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo remind everyone why they’ve been in the Eastern Conference Finals in three of the last four seasons.
Heat vs 76ers odds opened at Heat +3.5 on the road, with a total of 212.5. Let’s examine some past NBA scores and trends to see if we can gain insight on Heat vs 76ers odds.
Miami Heat (37-30) at Philadelphia 76ers (37-30) 
Date, Time:
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
Live Stream:
Hang On… It’s The Process
Philadelphia 76ers coach Nick Nurse recently came out and announced the team expects their league MVP Joel Embiid back before the playoffs. Sixers fans hope Nurse is right and Embiid can get a little time to ramp things up before attempting to make a run at his first Conference Finals appearance.
Nick Nurse ‘Pretty Confident’ Joel Embiid Will Return Before Playoffs https://t.co/T0dCIuMfXD
— RealGM (@RealGM) March 17, 2024
To have a chance the 76ers need to hang on. Although they are 11 games up from being booted from the playoff picture, they would love to avoid the Play-In and give Embiid as much opportunity to return to his elite form. It all sounds easier said than done.
NBA games today are all about the shooting and the Sixers’ 54.2% true shooting percentage in the last 15 games is the second lowest in the league. During that span, they are also bottom five in rebound percentage and bottom ten in defensive net rating.
Their main hope of survival depends on their budding star Tyrese Maxey. Maxey has scored 30 points in both of the Sixers’ last two games, shooting over 20 shots in both. With Tobias Harris potentially sidelined, Maxey gets all the offensive opportunities he can handle. If oddsmakers have his points total under 30 for this one, there’s a good chance he exceeds that.
You Can’t Count Miami Out
The Miami Heat shocked the league last year. After another mediocre regular season, they made their way out of the Play-In Tournament and reached the NBA Finals. It seems like every time the Heat are dead they rise from the grave. The Heat are starving for that comeback now.
Miami hasn’t won against a team above .500 since their 121-110 victory against Sacramento on February 26th. Miami had lost four straight games before back-to-back wins against the terrible Detroit Pistons (including a buzzer-beater victory Sunday). Miami will look to take the energy from their game-winner and carry it over to Philadelphia in a game with real playoff implications.
Bam called game. pic.twitter.com/m7FMXOngwI
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) March 17, 2024
Heat Underdogs on the Road
Neither of these teams leads their NBA divisions, but are still firmly in the playoff hunt. The Heat vs 76ers odds opened with the Sixers as home favorites at -4. The Heat are definitely able to win this game, but the potential absence of Jimmy Butler has oddsmakers worried.
The Sixers have gone under in all five of their last games, as their offense hasn’t been able to find success without Embiid. The Heat have also been trending under of late, going under six games in a row. These teams are each averaging under 110 points in their last ten matchups, the under at 213.5 is worth checking out.
In these teams’ last three meetings (two of which were this season), Miami is 3-0 straight-up and against the spread (ATS) and has held the Sixers to an average of 106 points. This game also has blow-out potential and that could help the under as well.
Heat vs 76ers Odds
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