It looked like the Miami Heat were going to even up their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series against the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night. Dwyane Wade, who had turned back the clock in Game Two to lead the Heat to a win up in Philadelphia, came alive again for 25 points, and the Heat did a better job patrolling the three-point arc on defense, but the Sixers came back for a 106-102 win to earn a 3-1 lead in the series. The keys came on the boards, as Philadelphia won the rebounding battle by 14, and the Heat bricked 12 of their 25 free throws. So despite the fact that Philadelphia turned the ball over 27 times and made less than 25 percent of their shots from downtown, they were still able to win. Can the Heat extend the series on Tuesday night? Or will the 76ers finish off the first round on Tuesday night? Check out our NBA betting preview of this Eastern Conference tilt.
NBA Betting Odds & 2018 Playoffs Game 5 Preview: Miami at Philadelphia
When: Tuesday, April 24, 2018, 8:00pm ETWhere: Wells Fargo Center, PhiladelphiaTV: TNTRadio: WAXY 790 AM Miami / 97.5 FM The Fanatic PhiladelphiaLive Stream: CBSSports.comNBA Betting Odds: Philadelphia -10, O/U 211.5
Why should you bet on the Heat?
This ten-point spread is immense given that this is an elimination game. However, Game Four was the first game that was decided by single digits. The Sixers won the opener by 27; the Heat won Game Two by 10, and then Philadelphia won by 20 when the series moved to Miami. Given that the Heat are averaging 106.5 points per game, it will be hard for Philadelphia to win by double digits, particularly in an elimination game. Goran Dragic is leading the team with 19.5 points and 4.5 assists, and Wade has really turned back the clock this whole series, averaging 18 points and 4 boards per game.
The problems for Miami begin at the free throw line, as they have only made 69 percent of their attempts and made just 52 percent in Game Four. They are also having a hard time on defense, as Philadelphia spent much of Games One and Three jacking up shots from downtown without much in the way of resistance. The Heat did a better job of contesting three-balls in Game Four, and it made a difference. Can the Heat muster the energy for Game Five after working so hard only to fall short in Game Four?
Why should you put your money on the 76ers?
Ben Simmons continues to burnish his Rookie of the Year credentials, averaging 19.3 points and 9.8 assists per game in these playoffs, and Dario Saric has 18.8 points and 7.3 boards per game. Joel Embiid is also scoring in double figures and appears to have no issues attached to wearing his mask in games. Philadelphia needs to get better production from their outside shooters in Game Five than that 7-for-31 performance they got on Saturday night. They are winning the battle inside, though, averaging almost 50 rebounds per game.
With Philadelphia, it’s all about the offense. If the shots are falling and the inside-out game is working, there are few teams that can keep up. Even on a night when the Sixers are cold, though, they can pick up a win with hustle — they turned the ball over repeatedly against Miami but got the inside scoring when they needed to pick up the win — and this was on the road. I’m not sure that Miami has what it takes to keep up with a young and hungry Sixers squad.
Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction
I would definitely take Philadelphia straight up with moneyline action, because I see Miami’s morale slipping after that tough loss. Miami has dropped 13 of their last 16 games on the road, and the Sixers have lost just three times at home since Christmas. Yes, one of those games came in Game Two of this series, but the Sixers have dominated the fourth quarter in three of these four games, and I see them continuing that here. However, that point spread has me worried, especially in an elimination game. I see Philadelphia winning, 118-111 — but the Heat covering.
