Miami Heat vs Philadelphia 76ers Prediction & Picks - NBA

Prediction published on 3/17/24, 9:29 PM  by Bill Christy | Modified on 3/18/24 at 11:37 AM in NBA Picks

The Miami Heat head to Philadelphia to face the 76ers for the 3rd time this season. Miami won both previous meetings but found themselves as a small underdog here on the road. They will continue to be without Tyler Herro and now have a banged-up Jimmy Butler who is questionable with a foot injury. The 76ers are also dealing with injuries as Joel Embiid is still on the shelf along with De'Anthony Melton. And now they have Tobias Harris hampered by a sore ankle and will be questionable for the contest. Both squads have gone just 2-3 in their recent 5 games and have identical 37-30 records on the season. Much like their records, these teams are extremely similar in the turnover department. A stat the determines so much in the NBA, committing turnovers can cost teams precious possessions and lead to easy points for the opposition. The 76ers are 1 st in the NBA and commit just 11.2 turnovers per game and the Heat are right behind them with 11.8 turnovers per game. For the 76ers, Tyrese Maxey is going to need to continue his strong play and leadership in order for them to pick up this home win. Maxey is coming off back-to-back 30 point games and has turned the ball over just 4 times while dishing out 8 assists over the same stretch. For Miami, athletic big-man Bam Adebayo, will need to assert his presence and build off the 20 points/17 rebound night he had in his last game that helped lift the Heat to a 104-101 win over Detroit.