(Photo via Imagn Images)
After a disappointing loss on Tuesday, and the first loss post All-Star break, the Miami Heat are searching for a bounce back win. They will continue this road trip by taking on Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers.
This is a matchup that will have some important Eastern Conference standings implications. The eighth seed Heat, at now 31-28 overall, are just 1.5 games back of the sixth seed and 32-26 Sixers. A huge win can help close that gap and make progress towards the team’s goal of avoiding the play-in for the fourth straight year.
Both squads are 5-5 over their last 10 games, and Philadelphia has limped to an even 15-15 home record this season. Miami is 1-0 against the Sixers on the year after an impressive performance back in late November to defeat them on their home floor. Hopefully, that same success can be implemented tonight— but each team looks different this time around.
Embiid and Tyler Herro were two key pieces that didn’t play in that November game. Paul George will also not be available this time around. The Heat, still working out the kinks of integrating Herro once again, are expected to keep the same lineup as last game unless Davion Mitchell (listed as questionable) gets downgraded before tipoff.
Injury Report (at the time of this publishing):
Philadelphia 76ers:
- Joel Embiid (knee) — PROBABLE
- MarJon Beauchamp(g-league) — DOUBTFUL
- Paul George (suspension) — OUT
- Johni Broome (knee) — OUT
Miami Heat:
- Davion Mitchell (illness) — QUESTIONABLE
- Nikola Jovic (back) — OUT
- Terry Rozier (not with team) — OUT
Projected Starting 5 (subject to change):
Philadelphia 76ers:
- Tyrese Maxey, G
- VJ Edgecombe, G
- Kelly Oubre Jr., F
- Dominick Barlow, F
- Joel Embiid, C
Miami Heat:
- Davion Mitchell, G
- Norman Powell, G
- Pelle Larsson, F
- Andrew Wiggins, F
- Bam Adebayo, F/C
Broadcast Info:
- Tipoff: 7:00 PM EST
- TV: FanDuel Sports Network Sun (Eric Reid & John Crotty)
- Radio: AM 560 Sports WQAM & The HEAT Radio Network (Jason Jackson)
- Spanish Radio: WAQI 710 AM & The HEAT Spanish Radio Network (José Pañeda)
Come back to Hot Hot Hoops at game time to join our GameThread and chat about the game live with other Heat fans!
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Tonight, even with George out on suspension, this will be one of the rare times when a relatively healthy and pretty good team with something to play for will provide us with some measuring stick of where we stand in the NBA world. Our team is rested and healthy and this will be a fair test of a later season game with something on the line. You can tell a lot about individual players also tonight, as to who will stand up to the challenge. It’s going to be interesting.
Excerpt from today’s allucanheat article:
“Heat writer just called out Pat Riley in a way most fans won’tPat Riley deserves some blame.”
“Miami Heat beat writer Ira Winderman just called out Pat Riley in a way that not many have been willing to do, stating he’s selling false optimism to the fans. In his words, Riley is trying to sell the fan base on making “chicken soup out of chicken feathers.” It just doesn’t work.
Winderman goes further in saying that the Heat is trying to chase teams in the Eastern Conference that are flat out better than them, and that the team is stuck in the worst place in all of sports – stuck in the middle and refusing to get out.
Just as with the TV folks who often criticize the team (some don’t seem to notice that), Ira will not be fired for his strong comments.
u do know tommy hutton lost his job due to criticism.
Do you actually listen to the games, commentary, and read what the writers write? Hutton was the exception, not the rule. As long as those folks are fair, they’re fine. Fortunately, you don’t work for a sports team or you would probably have a short career.
He is right. The Heat are exactly that. They can win a game against any team in the east, but they will not win a play off series against any of the first 7 teams. Not this year. It is painfully obvious to everyone now. And still the front office decides to not make any move before the trade deadline. It’s frustrating for the fans.
Probably the only Mia media member with balls everyone else are scared of Riley