basketball | Monday, February 27, 2023 12:28 PM (Revised at: Monday, February 27, 2023 1:24 PM)

Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat Best Bet: Philly Bounce Back at Home

Milan Stanojic

Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat Best Bet: Monday, February 27th

The Philadelphia 76ers welcome the Miami Heat to Wells Fargo Center tonight for their first encounter of the 2022/23 NBA regular season. Historically, the Heat have had an edge in this match-up, winning 67 of their games, whilst the 76ers have won 64. But the 76ers are having a great season and have been playing great basketball at home, and I’m leaning toward Doc River’s squad.

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Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat Preview
Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat Best Bet

Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat Preview

Tue, Feb 28th. 00:00 (UK time)

The Philadelphia 76ers are coming off a close 107-110 loss to the Boston Celtics on Saturday and are looking to bounce back tonight – and so are we. The 76ers are 3rd in the Eastern Conference with a 39-20 record and have won 7 of their last 10 games. This will be the last of their 3-game homestand after the All-Star break and a perfect opportunity to get back into the win column. The 76ers have been one of the best teams in the NBA when playing at home this year, winning 24 of their 33 games, and the best team ATS, covering in 22.

The Philadelphia 76ers are having quite the season on both ends of the floor, ranking top 10 in both offensive and defensive ratings. They play slow and don’t get too many possessions per game with 101.4, but their offence is one of the most efficient in the league and they still average around 114 points per game. Their defence has also been quite admirable, ranking 6th in defensive rating, allowing just 110.4 points per game (3rd in NBA) and keeping opponents to 34.4% from beyond the arc (3rd). But it’s their play on home territory that’s the base of our tip tonight, as we’ve already mentioned that Doc River’s squad is one of the best home performers in the NBA.

For the Miami Heat, it’s been a mixed bag of results this season, as they are sitting in 7th place in the east with a positive 32-29 record. They are currently on a 4-game losing streak and coming off a 108-103 road loss to the Charlotte Hornets. The Heat have been very disappointing when playing away from Miami this season, netting a 13-19 record and covering the spread in the same number of games.

The Heat also play a slow style of basketball, getting just 100.6 possessions per game and it shows in their stats. They are 27th in offensive rating and only average 108.1 points per game, ranking them dead last in the NBA. They also allow very few points per game with 108.6, but their opponents are allowed to shoot 47.6% from the field and 36.6% from beyond the 3-point line. This will be the first time they face the 76ers and given their form on the road, I don’t see much value in backing the Heat.

Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat Best Bet

This is the perfect opportunity for the 76ers to bounce back before going on the road. They have been terrific when playing at Wells Fargo Center this season and I think they have enough to get over the hump tonight. I’m backing the 76ers to cover the spread.