Getty Heat forward Jimmy Butler.
The Philadelphia 76ers will try to remain the only unbeaten home team in the NBA when they host the Miami Heat on Wednesday night. Philly is a perfect 14-0 at Wells Fargo Center this season, including a 113-86 drubbing of the Heat back on November 23. The Sixers got off to a 28-13 start in the first quarter of that matchup and never looked back as Josh Richardson led the way with 31 points.
Jimmy Butler scored 11 points and shot just 4-of-13 from the field in his first game back in the City of Brotherly Love. Butler played 55 games for the Sixers last season after being traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves. Butler was a force for Philadelphia in the postseason and averaged 19.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game during the Sixers playoff run which ended in the Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the eventual NBA champion Toronto Raptors.
The Sixers enter Wednesday’s game off their worst loss of the season, a 109-89 setback against the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday night. Philly was without Joel Embiid who missed the game due to a respiratory illness. Embiid is expected to play on Wednesday.
ESPN’s FPI gives the Sixers a 65.0% chance of winning this game. We break down the line and offer our best bets and analysis for Wednesday’s matchup between the Heat and Sixers.
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Heat vs. Sixers Game Details
Date: Wednesday, December 18
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
TV: ESPN, FS Sun (Miami), NBCS Philadelphia
Spread: Sixers -7.5
Total: 209
*All lines, odds, and trends are courtesy of Covers & The Action Network
Line Movement
This line opened at Sixers -6.5 and has been up slightly to Sixers -7.5 despite the action being split with the majority of the bets on the Heat but most of the money on Philadelphia.
Betting Trends
- Heat are 19-8 SU and 17-9-1 ATS this season
- Sixers are 20-8 SU and 12-13-3 ATS this season
- Over is 15-11 in Heat games this season
- Under is 15-12-1 in Sixers games this season
Analysis & Picks
I expect the Heat to handle this situation a lot better in round two. Miami got absolutely picked apart in the first matchup between these two teams about three weeks ago. Jimmy Butler might have played his worst game of the season as the Heat got extinguished by the tough Sixers defense en route to a blowout loss. Both teams are coming off bad losses, especially Miami, who allowed 73 points in the first half of a 118-111 loss to the Grizzlies on Monday night. The Sixers got blown out by the Nets and scored their lowest point total of the season. You could argue both teams were looking ahead to this matchup, which is round two of the Jimmy Butler reunion tour. Butler is averaging 21.2 points, 6.8 assists, and 6.4 rebounds in 23 games for his new team as Miami has settled into a motion blur offense that has kept teams off balance. These are two of the best teams in the East, so it’s tough to swallow 7.5 points in a game I expect to be close. Miami also one of the best ATS records in the NBA this season, while the Sixers are a sub-.500 ATS team. Take the Heat.
PICK: Heat +7.5
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