The Sixers are 14-0 at home this year but only 7-7 ATS. Against a Miami team that has won just once in its last nine visits to Philadelphia, however, it’s hard not to like the Sixers with a modest 6.5-point spread.
- Date/Time: December 18, 7 p.m. ET
- Arena: Wells Fargo Center
- TV Coverage: Sportsnet 1, Fox Sports Sun, NBC Sports Philadelphia
- Sportsbook Odds: Philadelphia -6.5 | O/U 213
- Heat vs 76ers Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
There’s almost no scenario in which the 76ers wouldn’t be favored at home, where they’re 14-0 on the season. But because they haven’t blown a lot of teams out and are up against another first-place team, Philly opened as just a 6.5-point favorite. With Philly being such a defensive-minded team, and these clubs playing to the UNDER in four of their last six matchups, the total opened low at 213 points.
Miami News & Notes
The Heat have jumped out to a great start this season, sporting a 19-8 record and holding a 6.5-game lead in the Southeast Division, but they’ve dropped two of their last three games, including a 118-111 loss to Memphis on Monday.
That was Miami’s first loss to a team with a losing record all season. So far the Heat have been able to take care of the teams they should beat and are near the top 10 in scoring offense and scoring defense. However, against teams currently with winning records, they’re just 4-6 SU and 5-5 ATS on the season, and they’re 8-7 SU and 7-7-1 ATS on the road.
Those numbers don’t bode well for Wednesday’s game at Philadelphia, as the Sixers are 20-8 on the year and have yet to lose at home.
Philadelphia News & Notes
Philadelphia has been on fire lately, winning 13 of its last 16 games. One of only four teams to already reach the 20-win mark, Philadelphia has done most of its damage at home. It boasts an NBA-best 14-0 SU record when playing on its home court, the only team that’s yet to lose at home this season.
Philadelphia did lose its most recent game, a 109-89 defeat at Brooklyn on Sunday, but that came with star Joel Embiid sitting out due to a respiratory illness. He’s listed as probable to play Wednesday, so expect the Sixers to resume their standard of play that has led to them outscoring opponents by an average of 12.2 points at home this season.
You don’t need to remind Miami of how good the Sixers are at home, however; these teams faced off in Philadelphia on November 23, with the Sixers winning by 27 points.
Betting Pick: Philadelphia -6.5
The Sixers are dominant at home, while the Heat struggle on the road. That’s not a good recipe for Miami, so I’ll take the Sixers to cover.
- The total has gone OVER in Miami’s last 5 games.
- Miami is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games vs Philadelphia.
- Philadelphia is 4-8 ATS in its last 12 games.
