Miami Heat vs Philadelphia 76ers: Another defeat seems real without Embiid

A series in which the waiting remains. Philadelphia will likely only have something to offer when they come back home and if Joel does so.

The Heat is good enough without Robinson and Lowry

Erik Spoelstra's team has enough depth, which has been clear to everyone for a while now. With Kyle Lowry still not expected to play in the next few games in this series, and Robinson not playing for the Heat by the coach's decision, the team is doing well in a slightly trimmed-down rotation.

Butler is the undisputed leader of the team but in the first game of the series, No.6 of the season once again showed that he got the title for a reason. 25 points and 7 assists are proof enough. And, of course, it should be noted that four players in the starting five scored 10 points or more.

Today they have as many as five players in a day-to-day list, but there's probably no reason to cut the roster. So game two will very likely leave the win for the home team.

Harden, same as always

Philadelphia showed in the series against stalwart Toronto that Harden can play as the team's link, handing out assists and scoring neat points. But right tonight, that's not enough. On the road, Embiid isn't helping, and Harden, as always in the playoffs, isn't ready to do it on his own.

The first game, once again, showed that with all the desire, Doc Rivers's team can only fight back fully if their biggest star is back in action. The defense and the offense sometimes fall apart, and there is no one to fix it, certainly not Harden. So far, the chance of a second loss is higher than the hope of a win. Still, the second match won't go completely without a fight.

Injuries and suspensions

• Miami: Kyle Lowry, day-to-day: P. J. Tucker, Caleb Martin, Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, Tyler Herro;
• Philadelphia: Joel Embiid.

Expert Betting Tips

Efficiency is not about this series, certainly not in this matchup, because tonight's game will likely be very similar to game number one. Rivers is unlikely to find an original solution, and the Heat doesn't need to come up with anything new yet. So we can consider the following options:

• Total Under (209) for 1.76;
• W1+TU (207.5) for 2.35;
• W1 by 6-10 points for 4.50.

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