2 min read • March 21, 2022
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The 76ers will face the first team to hold the Joel Embiid and James Harden combination to under 100 points this season coming off of a 93-88 loss against the Raptors.
Embiid has been nursing a sore lower back since falling on his tailbone late last week against the Nuggets and will miss his first game with the injury on Monday.
Veteran DeAndre Jordan will likely step into the starting spot, but should not be expected to be effective against elite defender Bam Adebayo.
The 28-year-old scored 22 points in 43-27 Philadelphia’s 99-82 loss in Miami on March 5, but scored 14 of his points at the line while shooting 4-15 from the field and 0-6 from 3.
Power forward Georges Niang has improved his scoring next to Harden, averaging 11.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per game while shooting 7.2 3s.
The Heat will be without guards Gabe Vincent and Victor Oladipo while oft-injured starters Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry are each expected to play.
Butler, who has missed 4 of the last 8 games with ankle and toe injuries, and is averaging 19.4 points and 4.3 assists on 42.9% shooting since February 1.
Caleb Martin is expected to play for the 2nd time since suffering a hyperextended left knee on March 9. The Heat, 47-24, are likely to manage Martin’s playing time heading into the postseason, but he should see 20+ minutes off the bench tonight.
Miami’s best player since the all-star break has arguably been 6th man Tyler Herro, who is scoring 25.4 points and 4.5 rebounds on .519/.470/.852 in the last 12 games. His over/under is set at 20.5 tonight.
Potential Plays:
U215 Total Points - The Sixers should struggle to score without stud Joel Embiid, Heat are an exceptional defensive squad which paired together screams under
Bam Adebayo O10.5 Rebounds - Without Embiid, their should be no issue for the star center to grab over ten boards
Update: James Harden has been ruled out after posting (scheduled maintenance day for hamstring) meaning total points will likely go down after news.
Picks posted at 9:10/12:10 PT-ET
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