Miami Heat vs Philadelphia 76ers Prediction & Match Preview - December 15th, 2021 | NBA Season 2021-22

The Miami Heat’s next stop on the road will be at Wells Fargo Center for a matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers. Wednesday’s game will be a battle between two teams who are nursing injuries to significant members of the roster.

Despite PJ Tucker’s best game of the season, the Miami Heat could not overcome the absence of starters Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.

Adebayo will be sidelined until at least January, while Butler will not be with the team on the four-game road trip. The rest of the roster will have to do more heavy lifting against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Fresh off a huge win against Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors, Doc Rivers’ undermanned team played minus Seth Curry and Joel Embiid. They looked like a shell of the team that upended the Warriors.

The late removal of the Philadelphia 76ers’ starting shooting guard and center greatly affected the team’s flow and consistency. They had at least a day to prepare for another game without two of their regular contributors. It’ll be interesting to see which wounded team will come out the victor.

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Match Details

Fixture: Miami Heat vs Philadelphia 76ers | 2021-22 NBA season

Date & Time: Wednesday, December 15th; 7:00 PM ET (Thursday, December 16th; 5:30 AM IST)

Venue: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA

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Miami Heat Preview

Tyler Herro will need to score more without Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo for the Miami Heat against the Philadelphia 76ers [Photo: SBNation.com]

The Miami Heat have already proven that they can win against elite opposition without Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. They just couldn't summon the same grit, execution and shooting in their loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Before their defeat to the Cavs, the Miami Heat beat the defending champions, the Milwaukee Bucks. They dealt the Bucks their first loss of the season featuring the Big 3 of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday. To prove that it wasn’t a fluke, they then toppled a Chicago Bulls team that had Zach Lavine, Alex Caruso, Lonzo Ball and Nikola Vucevic in the lineup.

Erik Spoelstra’s wards caught a break with Seth Curry and Joel Embiid out. Nonetheless, the Miami Heat can’t afford to be complacent against the resilient Philadelphia 76ers.

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Key Player - Kyle Lowry

Kyle Lowry has never been about just pure numbers for the Miami Heat. What he regularly does for the team often does not show on the box scores. He makes so many plays that galvanize the team and provides the kind of leadership and poise that only a few in the NBA can.

With Butler and Adebayo out, Lowry’s numbers have jumped up. He is averaging 20 points, 2.6 rebounds and 10.6 assists in the last three games without the two All-Stars. The Cleveland Cavaliers were clearly keying in on Lowry, knowing that the Heat are less of a threat without Butler and Adebayo.

The former franchise player of the Toronto Raptors will lead the charge once more for the Miami Heat against the Philadelphia 76ers.

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Miami Heat Predicted Lineup

G - Kyle Lowry | G - Gabe Vincent | F - Duncan Robinson | F - P.J. Tucker | C - Dewayne Dedmon

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Philadelphia 76ers Preview

The Philadelphia 76ers' resolve without Joel Embiid and Seth Curry will be tested again against the Miami Heat [Photo: Bleacher Report]

The Philadelphia 76ers are once more decimated by injuries. It has only been a few weeks since almost half of the roster was on the league’s health and safety protocols. They were hit with the injury bug yet again just as they were starting to rediscover their form.

The loss of Curry and Embiid just a few hours before the game against the Memphis Grizzlies muddled the Philadelphia 76ers’ game plan. It’s extremely difficult to adjust to the sudden loss of Embiid because he is the fulcrum of the team’s offense.

The Sixers should be more competitive this time, given that they’ve had the chance to play without many of their players on the roster.

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Key Player - Tyrese Maxey

Tyrese Maxey has been playing like a borderline All-Star player, particularly in the games without Joel Embiid. In 11 games without the All-Star center, Maxey has averaged 22.4 points, 5.0 assists and 3.4 rebounds. His ability to drive into the teeth of the defense has been a great asset for the Philadelphia 76ers.

The 21-year-old is also shooting a respectable 36.7% from three-point land. He is becoming the franchise point guard that the Philadelphia 76ers have been looking for amid the Ben Simmons fiasco.

More importantly for the team, Maxey is no longer overwhelmed when running an NBA offense night after night. He has visibly settled in and has become one of the leaders of the Philadelphia 76ers.

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Philadelphia 76ers Predicted Lineup

G - Tyrese Maxey | G - Furkan Korkmaz | F - Matisse Thybulle | F - Tobias Harris | C - Andre Drummond

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Heat vs 76ers Match Prediction

Based on the two teams' recent games without their respective injured superstars, the Miami Heat have played quite well. They are still solid on defense and have Tyler Herro to trouble defenses.

Miami could squeak past Philadelphia in this matchup.

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Where to watch the Heat vs 76ers game

The NBA League Pass will stream the Miami Heat vs Philadelphia 76ers game live. Local coverage of the matchup is available via NBC Sports Philadelphia and Bally Sports Sun Florida.