The Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers meet at Wells Fargo Center for an Eastern Conference tilt on Wednesday. Miami arrives on the second night of a back-to-back with travel after a game against Milwaukee on Tuesday. The Heat won the first battle over the Sixers this season, though Philadelphia has the more impressive overall profile. The 76ers are 32-21 overall and 17-10 at home in 2023-24. Joel Embiid (knee), Tobias Harris (hip), De’Anthony Melton (back), Robert Covington (knee) and Nicolas Batum (hamstring) are out for Philadelphia. Miami’s injury report isn’t official yet, though Jimmy Butler (personal), Terry Rozier (knee) and Josh Richardson (shoulder) are expected to be out..
Tipoff is at 7 p.m. ET in Philadelphia. For this game, SportsLine consensus lists Philadelphia as the 4.5-point favorite, while the over/under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 223.5 in the latest Heat vs. 76ers odds. Before making any 76ers vs. Heat picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from the advanced computer model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 17 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 55-35 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning more than $1,800. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Heat vs. Sixers. You can head to SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are several NBA betting lines and trends for Sixers vs. Heat:
- Heat vs. 76ers spread: 76ers -4.5
- Heat vs. 76ers over/under: 223.5 points
- Heat vs. 76ers money line: 76ers -175, Heat +146
- MIA: The Heat are 2-4-1 against the spread with no rest
- PHI: The 76ers are 16-11 against the spread in home games
- Heat vs. 76ers picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Heat can cover
Miami is coming off an impressive win on Tuesday in Milwaukee. The Heat won by a 26-point margin over the Bucks, shooting 52% from the field with 19 of 40 shooting from 3-point range and 34 assists. Miami is above-average in 3-point accuracy this season, and the Heat are also in the top five in free throw accuracy at more than 82%. Philadelphia yields almost 25 free throw attempts per game on defense, and Miami has a dynamic and versatile big man in Bam Adebayo. He anchors a strong Miami defense, and Adebayo is a three-time All-Star and four-time All-Defensive selection.
Adebayo is averaging more than 20 points and 10 rebounds per game, and he put up 26 points and 15 rebounds in the first matchup against Philadelphia this season. With Adebayo in the middle, the Heat are giving up fewer than 1.14 points per possession this season, and Miami is in the top five of the league in free throw prevention and points allowed in the paint. The Heat are also in the top 10 in defensive rebound rate, second-chance points allowed and fast break points allowed. See who to back at SportsLine.
Why the 76ers can cover
Without Embiid, Philadelphia is led by its perimeter attack. All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey is the team’s best available player on Wednesday, and he is averaging 25.6 points per game with a pair of 50-point explosions this season. Maxey is also averaging more than six assists per game while shooting 38% from 3-point range overall and 39.2% from 3-point range at home. Newcomer Buddy Hield is also playing well for the 76ers, averaging 22.3 points and 6.7 assists per game and with 44.8% 3-point shooting since arriving via trade earlier this month.
On offense, Philadelphia has top-five marks in free throw creation, free throw accuracy, turnover rate and fast break points. On the other end, Miami is below-average offensively and very poor on the offensive glass, with Philadelphia bringing strong defensive marks. The 76ers are allowing only 1.14 points per possession this season, and Philadelphia leads the NBA with 8.7 steals per game. Philadelphia is also in the top eight of the league in 3-point accuracy allowed, turnovers created and blocked shots. See who to back at SportsLine.
How to make Heat vs. 76ers picks
The model has simulated Sixers vs. Heat 10,000 times and is leaning Under on the total, projecting 219 combined points. It also says one side of the spread hits nearly 60% of the time. You can only see the picks at SportsLine.
So who wins 76ers vs. Heat, and which side of the spread hits nearly 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model on a 55-35 roll on top-rated NBA picks this season, and find out.
