Miami Heat-Philadelphia 76ers: Match Preview, Stats, & Much More | 3 May

NBA’s second round has arrived and soon we will see the number of teams dwindle even further, and the first round reduced the number from 16 to 8. In the Eastern Conference, the Miami Heat and the Philadelphia 76ers made it out of the first round pretty comfortably and they will meet each other here. First, the 76ers are playing without Embiid but to their relief, the Heat has a long list of injuries with Kyle Lowry definitely being ruled out. Who will take advantage in Game 1?

Handicap: Bookmakers from 22bet suggest that the Heat has a significant edge over the 76ers. I think the bookmakers are believing that Butler, Herro, and Tucker will probably play here and there is no doubt that if these three or even if Butler and Herro play, the Heat will have amazing chances. But yes, the Heat does need Butler if not anyone else considering the depth of the 76ers. If Butler plays, I’d take the Heat to win but I’d suggest taking the 76ers on +handicap . (Handicap 2 +6.5 for 2.06)

Player Props: Bookmakers at bet365 predict odds of 1.86 for Bam Adebayo going Over 18.5 Points here(At least 19 Points). Due to injury issues, Bam only scored more than 19 in one of the five games and has scored 20, 13, 14 in the last three games. I believe Bam will be up for a big night here and I see him scoring at least 21 points here. (Player Props: Player Points: Bam Adebayo Over 18.5)

Total: Bookmakers at 1xbet believe that the total of 208.5 (Over/Under) has the odds of 1.97. Both Heat and the 76ers are effective defensive squads and have done a great job in the Playoffs so far so I can understand the low total count here. However, I believe that the game will be in the 210-220 points range so I’d go “Over” here. (Total Over 208.5 for 1.97)

This match is available on the NBA League Pass.

The injury list is long, Lowry is not playing, Butler, Herro, Tucker, Morris, Strus, and Martin are questionable for the game. However, I do see Butler playing in this all-important game if not the others. If Butler, Tucker, Adebayo, Vincent, and Strus end up playing here, I do see a strong defensive effort from the Heat considering Joel Embiid will not be around raiding the paint or generating constant offense for the 76ers. Offensively, the Heat had its own problems against the Hawks, Herro wasn’t in much of a rhythm and the most of the offense was highly dependent upon the talent of Buttler. However, I believe that Adebayo will pull through in this series on the offensive end nonetheless. But the Heat will need Herro to get going at some point too.

Although Philly is missing their main offensive option in Embiid, they still have depth. James Harden didn’t have an efficient series versus the Raptors but during couple of games he did have solid outings, if anything, he is a superb passer and will generate looks for Maxey and Harris as off-the-ball players. The problem can be that without Embiid the overall defensive integrity can be compromised to a certain level and it is unclear if Deandre Jordan will play and if he does play, will he be effective enough against the physicality of Bam Adebayo? Maxey and Harris will be key here without a doubt but even Danny Green had some fun on the offensive end in the last series. The plan for the 76ers must be getting their outside shots going so that Maxey, Harris, and Harden have inside lanes to operate because the Heat is expert at shutting down the perimeter.

• Heat most likely starting five: PG: Gabe Vincent | SG: Max Strus | SF: Jimmy Butler | PF: PJ Tucker | C: Bam Adebayo;
• Key Bench Player: Victor Oladipo, Duncan Robinson, Tyler Herro, Caleb Martin;
• 76ers most likely starting five: PG: James Harden | G: Tyrese Maxey | SF: Danny Green | PF: Tobias Harris | C: Deandre Jordan;
• Key Bench Players: Georges Niang, Matisse Thybulle, Shake Milton.