The red-hot Heat
The Miami Heat are playing beautiful basketball right now. The defense is first in steals, sixth on points allowed, and third in efficiency, while the offense is parading five active players that are averaging over 11 points per game, three of which are also dishing out over 4.5 assists. Through the solid play, the team is second in the East standings with an 11-3 record.
On Saturday, the Heat cruised past the Chicago Bulls. They were up by 18 at the end of the first quarter and increased it to 24 at halftime, which then allowed them to coast into a 116-108 win
Jimmy Butler, an ex-Bull, punished former team by logging in a game high 27 points on an efficient 7-for-10 shooting. He also picked their pocket four times and now has at least two steals in 10 of his 11 games on the season – he leads the NBA in steals with 2.8 per game. It will be interesting to see what Jimmy Buckets has in store next since he’s visiting one of his former teams again.
As always, the Heat youngsters will also be deserving of the spotlight, particularly Bam Adebayo, who’s filling the stat sheet with 13.8 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game, and Kendrick Nunn, who leads the Heat in points and second only to Butler in PPG (17.2).
The Sixers are regaining their footing, but…
The 10-5 Philadelphia 76ers have mostly recovered from their bumpy start to November. They just a had a stretch where they lost five times in seven games and have since polished it by winning three straight. In the victory Saturday, they beat the San Antonio Spurs, 115-104, with all starters scoring in double figures.
Tomorrow, however, will be the Sixers’ toughest opponent since their loss to the Denver Nuggets on November 10th, where they blew a 19-point fourth quarter lead and got outscored in the period, 35-13.
Facing a beloved former teammate
Joel Embiid should be in a fun back-and-forth with former teammate Jimmy Butler, who was known to be beloved during his stint with the Sixers last season. Hopefully, Embiid doesn’t sit out due to load management, as he will be bringing a big chunk of the production with him (22.9 PPG, 11.5 PPG, 3.1 APG, 1.4 BPG).
Should the Sixers big man elect to rest, look for Tobias Harris (17.4 PPG) and Josh Richardson (14.8 PPG) to pick up the slack. Ben Simmons could provide more offense as well. He’s coming off a triple double and has also recorded 10 or more assists in each of his last three games.
PREDICTION:
The Sixers will win if Embiid plays, and lose if he doesn’t.
Either way, both squads boast a balanced-yet-aggressive attack, so it should be an exciting match-up.
