THE Miami heat (37-30) and Philadelphia 76ers (37-30) will face off Monday night in a clash between two Eastern Conference contenders who will be trying to stay on course as the playoffs approach. The Heat and 76ers would meet in the first play-in game if the season ended today, but both are only a half-game behind the Pacers for the sixth and final automatic playoff spot. This is the third meeting between these teams, with the Heat having won the previous two contests.
Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler did not play in Miami’s win Sunday against the Pistons. We’ll see if the Heat get either player back when they submit their official injury report later today. The 76ers are still without Joel Embiid and De’Anthony Melton, while Tobias Harris is questionable with an ankle issue.
The 76ers are favorites with 2.5 points DraftKings Sports Bettingwith the total set at 209. Philadelphia is -135 on the moneyline while Miami is +114.
Heat vs. 76ers, 7:30 p.m. ET
Choose ATS: Heat +2.5
Miami is 5-4-1 ATS on the second night of a back-to-back and a league-best 12-5-1 ATS with a rest disadvantage. The Heat are more likely to get Butler back than Herro, so they potentially get a boost even with some fatigue. The 76ers are just 6-7 ATS with a rest advantage this season.
The Heat have won both games between these teams, including a game about a month ago that was more representative of the two teams’ current makeup. Even though the 76ers are 25-18 ATS as favorites, I’ll take the Heat to cover this game.
More less : Less than 209
Even though the previous two meetings between these teams have crossed this line, I think the current trend suggests this matchup fails. The Heat have fallen under in six straight games, while the 76ers have gone under in five straight games. It’s a low number, but I think these teams showed they could defend well enough to get the under hit.
