The Philadelphia 76ers and the Miami Heat are in for a massive second-round matchup. The regular-season series between these teams were split at 2-2. Who gets the 1-0 lead?
Check out our preview below of this Sixers vs. Heat 2022 NBA Playoffs game.
The Sixers avoided what would have been a disaster of epic proportions in the first round, as they got the job done in six games against the pesky Toronto Raptors. The Heat will be a completely different animal to deal with for Philadelphia, but the Sixers shouldn’t be lacking in confidence, even though they are going to miss Joel Embiid indefinitely. Embiid suffered a facial injury and won’t be available for at least Game 1 against Miami, which means DeAndre Jordan will suddenly find himself with a significant bump in playing time. It will be up to Harden to unlock whatever is left of Jordan’s offensive potential. With Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris flanking the Harden, the Sixers should be able to keep Miami’s defense honest.Maxey and Harris averaged 21.9 and 17.8 points , respectively, in the Toronto series.
The Sixers are 2-1 againts the spread in their last three road games.
The Heat dealt with key absences in the first round but that didn’t stop them from knocking out Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks in just five games. Jimmy Butler missed Game 5 of that series with a knee problem, while Kyle Lowry didn’t play in Games 4 and 5 because of a hamstring issue. However, both are expected to suit up in an all-important series opener in the second round against the Sixers. Butler was fantastic whenever he played in the first round. Against the Hawks, the two-way swingman averaged 30.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in four games . He also shot 54.3 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from behind the arc. Defensively, Butler will be shadowing Harden in this matchup, while it’s Bam Adebayo who’ll be covering Embiid. Defense has been so stout in the playoffs thus far for Miami. In fact, the Heat are second overall in the playoffs with just 97.4 points allowed per game – over 15 points fewer than Atlanta’s scoring offense average back in the regular season.
The Heat are 5-1 against the spread in their last six home games.
