Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat: Prediction and Betting Tips | April 4, 2024

There are five games on the NBA schedule for Thursday, including the Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat. It's the fourth and final matchup between the two teams this season, with the Sixers looking to win the series for a second straight year.

Miami took the first meeting 119-113 on Christmas Day at home, with the Sixers missing Joel Embiid. The Heat also took the second one back on Valentine's Day with a 109-104 victory. Embiid was absent for the matchup, as he had undergone knee surgery.

The Sixers took one back on Mar. 18 at the Wells Fargo Center with a 98-91 win, still without the reigning MVP. Thursday's matchup could be different, with Embiid likely suiting up against the Heat for the first time this season.

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Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat preview, prediction, odds and betting tips

The Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat game is on Thursday at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. It starts at 7:30 p.m. EST and will be televised on NBC Sports Philadelphia and Bally Sports Sun.

Moneyline: Sixers (-109) vs Heat (-109)

Spread: Sixers +2.5 (-110) vs Heat -2.5 (-112)

Total (O/U): Sixers o210.5 (-110) vs Heat u210.5 (-112)

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Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat preview

The Philadelphia 76ers enter Thursday's game feeling revitalized by the return of Joel Embiid.

The impact of the reigning MVP was immediately felt on Tuesday, as he helped the Sixers beat the OKC Thunder. He was a bit bit rusty on the offensive end, but his defensive presence was huge.

Meanwhile, the Miami Heat are on a three-game winning streak and eyeing to lock up the No. 6 spot. The Heat own the tie-breaker against the Indiana Pacers and want to win as many games as possible to avoid the Play-In Tournament.

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Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat starting lineups, subs and rotation

The Philadelphia 76ers have six players listed as injured, but only two are out. Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Mo Bamba and Tobias Harris are questionable, but could get cleared before tip-off. Here's how Nick Nurse could line up in South Beach:

PG: Kyle Lowry | SG: Tyrese Maxey | SF: Kelly Oubre Jr. | PF: Nicolas Batum | C: Joel Embiid

With Embiid back in the lineup, Nurse's rotation probably still includes Mo Bamba and Paul Reed to back up the MVP. Buddy Hield, Cameron Payne and KJ Martin are also expected to get some minutes.

The Miami Heat, meanwhile, will continue to miss Tyler Herro and Josh Richardson on Thursday night. Coach Erik Spoelstra is expected to use the following starting lineup:

PG: Terry Rozier | SG: Duncan Robinson | SF: Jimmy Butler | PF: Nikola Jovic | C: Bam Adebayo

Spoelstra uses a nine-man rotation of Kevin Love, Haywood Highsmith, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Caleb Martin.

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Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat betting tips

Joel Embiid has an over/under of 25.5 points, which is lower than his season average. He scored 24 points on his return and struggled with his shot. He's favored to go over, but it might be alright to take the risk and bet on him to score less than 25.5 points.

Jimmy Butler is favored to go under 20.5 points, which is not a surprise since he's not been aggressive on offense in his past five games. Place your money on him scoring less than 20.5 points, but fair warning – he has scored at least 21 points in four of his last five games against the Sixers.

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Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat prediction

The opening line for the Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat game is dead-even, as that's what it is. Both teams are still missing stars and not at full strength but are well-coached and could beat any team on any given night.

Oddsmakers predict the Heat to win the game and cover the spread. There's also a big chance that the total could go over 210.5 points.

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