The Philadelphia 76erssecured a match-point in the fourth game of the first round with a 106-102 road victory over the Miami Heat victory on Saturday, April 21. The Sixers beat the spread at +3.5, while the game went under the total of 200.5 points. Brett Brown’s side is now in a pole position to reach the second round as the series moves to Philly.
Game Recap
Miami led for the most of the first half and had a 12-point lead at one point in the third quarter, but the Sixers displayed an excellent performance in the final period and limited the hosts to only 19 points, while they scored 27. The visitors took a 7-point lead midway in the fourth, but the Heat cut the lead to one point; however, they didn’t have enough strength and skill to tie the series to two.
Philadelphia shot 52.9% from the floor and wasn’t accurate from beyond the arc (7-31), but luckily for them, the Heat wasn’t great from downtown either (7-19). Despite committing even 26 turnovers in opposite to Miami’s 19, the Sixers dominated below the rims and recorded 14 more rebounds, and made 27 shots from the free-throw line, while the hosts scored 13.
JJ Redick led Philly with 24 points, three dimes, and three thefts; Ben Simmons posted a triple-double of 17 points, 13 boards, and ten assists, along with four steals, but mad seven turnovers, Joel Embiid recorded a double-double of 14 points and 2 rebounds, with game-high five rejections, while Dario Saric finished the tilt with 11 points and eight boards. On the other hand, Dwyane Wade led Miami with 25 points, three rebounds, and three thefts off the bench; Goran Dragic added 20 points, four steals, and three dishes, James Johnson chipped in with 15 points, eight boards, five assists, while Hassan Whiteside posted a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds.
Philadelphia’s odds to win the NBA Championship can be found at BetDSI and they are pegging the 76ers at +12000, which means that Brett Brown’s men are among the favorites out of the shadows to lift the NBA title this year. They are ++250 to win the Eastern Conference as only Toronto has better chances to clinch the East at the moment. Miami is +25000 to win the NBA title, while the Heat are +4500 to clinch the Eastern Conference.
