Philadelphia 76ers will meet the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the NBA 2021-22 playoffs on Thursday evening. The home side will search for a win that can leave them competitive in this series. The visitors need one more success to book their place in the conference finals.
Philadelphia needs to forget its latest performance and bounce back just two days after a heavy defeat. However, they were successful at home in the previous two games at Wells Fargo Center, and they will eye the win. On the other hand, Miami boosted its confidence with a massive win on the home court. They go to Philly, determined to finish beat their rivals and finish this series.
Philadelphia 76ers – Can they bring the series to Game 7?
The 76ers seek improvement after their heavy 120-85 defeat in Game 5 of this series. They didn’t start the game well, but their display in the final period was horrible. Philadelphia lost that quarter by 20 points and scored only 19 pts. They couldn’t pick up where they left off when playing at home, and the hosts need to bounce back to stay active in the tie. Philadelphia had a very poor 36.5 field goal percentage, while they scored only 28.1% of their three-pointer attempts. Moreover, the 76ers made five turnovers more and had ten rebounds less than their rivals.
Joel Embiid leads Philadelphia’s offense with 24 points on average, followed by a team-high 10.6 rebounds. Tyrese Maxey scores 20.8 pts and has 3.9 assists, while James Harden is the 76ers’ best assistant with 8.5, producing 19.3 points and 5.8 rebs. Tobias Harris is another player that averages a double-digit number of points for Philadelphia, with 17.2. On the other hand, Joel Embiid is still doubtful, and he didn’t enjoy his latest performance. Matisse Thybulle and Isaiah Joe are also questionable for Philadelphia, and it is not certain whether they can help their teammates in this encounter.
Expected Line-Up: Tyrese Maxey, James Harden, Danny Green, Tobias Harris, Joel Embiid
with best odds
Miami Heat – Will they proceed to the conference finals?
The Heat got back to the winning track with a dominant performance in Game 5. They controlled the game from the very start, having a 12-point advantage after the first quarter. Miami sealed the victory with a superb display in the final period of the match. Their field goal percentage was pretty successful, reaching a 53.6 figure. Besides that, Miami managed to score 39.4 shots from the three-pointer area while controlling the paint and the number of turnovers. If they can keep the numbers at this level, the Heat will be much closer to celebrating the 4th win in this series.
Jimmy Butler has been the most efficient Miami player in the playoffs, with 28.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game on average. Bam Adebayo has contributed a lot to the Heat offense with 15.1 pts and a team-high 7.7 rebounds. Tyler Herro produces 14.2 pts per contest in the post-season, while Victor Oladipo and Max Strus score a double-digit number of pts for Miami during the playoffs. Regarding the selection issues, the only player on which Miami cannot count in this encounter is Kyle Lowry.
Expected Line-Up: Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, Jimmy Butler, P.J. Tucker, Bam Adebayo
Expert Pick #1 – Under 206.5 @-110
I anticipate another tight and low-scoring match since it’s a massive game for both teams. Philadelphia was pretty wasteful in the offense in the latest encounter, while Boston won’t have an easy job in Philly. I’ll go with the Under as my first pick.
Expert Pick #2 – Miami Heat +2 @-110
Although the home team has won all matches in this series, we might not see the same pattern in Game 6. Miami wants to build up on its latest victory and finish the series on Thursday evening. I’ll back them as the road underdogs, expecting them to cover and win. That’s going to be my second bet.
Expert Pick #3 – Philadelphia 76ers Under 103.5 @-105
The 76ers have been pretty good on the home court in this series, but they are not in good momentum. Miami wants to keep its defense tight, and I believe they can keep Philadelphia under a 103.5 margin. It will be my third pick at slightly higher odds than the first two.
