The Miami Heat have been a really good road team this season, accumulating more wins than anyone not named the Celtics or Warriors. They hope to keep that trend rolling in a showdown against the Philadelphia 76ers this week.
Both teams are jockeying for position in the Eastern Conference playoff standings. Miami is zeroing in on home court advantage for the first round while the 76ers are hoping to hold off the Pistons for a postseason berth.
This is a key game for both sides and should be quite competitive. Miami has the superior record but the 76ers are playing at home so it could be a close finish.
This war on the floor will go down Friday, February 2, 2018, at 8 p.m. ET at the Wells Fargo Center Philadelphia. The game will be televised live on ESPN.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Friday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Heat is 29-21 straight up and 23-24-3 against the spread. Miami has covered in 17 of 27 attempts on the road this season. The Heat is 15-10-1 against the spread as the underdog on the year.
Philadelphia is 24-23 straight up and 26-20-1 against the spread. The 76ers have covered the spread in 13 of 22 attempts at home. Philly is 14-11 against the spread as the favorite on the season.
Player to Watch
Joel Embiid — Philadelphia’s starting center was held out of Monday’s game against the Bucks due to medical restrictions and concerns with load management. He played 36 minutes in the Sixers’ loss to the Thunder on Sunday so the team chose to let him rest against Milwaukee.
Embiid is expected to be active for his team’s matchup against Miami Friday and will also suit up Saturday against the Pacers as well. The 23-year-old is averaging a double-double this season for Philadelphia with 23.6 points per game 10.9 rebounds.
He 27 points and 10 rebounds in his team’s loss to the Thunder on Sunday. He finished with 29 points and 14 rebounds in a loss to the Nets on Wednesday. Keep an eye on his availability, because if Embiid has to sit for any reason it would be a huge loss. He seems like he should be good to go, though.
Key Stat
101.1 That’s how many points per game Miami’s defense is allowing this season. The Heat rank No. 3 in the NBA for points allowed this season and have held their last five opponents to under 100 points.
Miami faces one of the league’s most high-scoring offenses in this matchup against Philadelphia. Behind Embiid, the Sixers averaged 107.9 points a game so this will be a good test for both sides.
Miami does not have the tools on offense that Philadelphia has so the Heat will be relying on their defense to keep things close. That begins with finding a way to slow down Embiid. The NBA has gotten more free-slowing in recent years but the Heat is trying to ride its defense to a solid playoff seed.
Free NBA ATS Picks
Miami knows how to win on the road and should be able to keep this one close from start to finish. However, the 76ers need to break out of a mini-funk and should be able to accomplish that feat in this one.
Between Embiid and Ben Simmons, Philadelphia has two of the rising young stars in the NBA. The team is playing at home and should feed off the crowd. Take the 76ers to win a close one. Watch to see where the spread checks in because it’s not a given Philly covers if it is deemed the favorite.
The scoring total will be interesting as this is a clash of styles. The “under” should be considered if it is released too high, as Miami has been very good on defense of late.
NBA Odds: 76ers 99, Heat 96
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
