Miami Heat vs. Philadelphia 76ers | Odds, Preview, & Prediction | Wednesday, May 4th

Miami Heat vs. Philadelphia 76ers Preview: Expect Miami to come out hot against the shorthanded 76ers

Monday's 106-92 Miami Heat victory made one thing very clear: The Philadelphia 76ers are clearly not the same team without Joel Embiid.

Aside from a late second-half surge, the 76ers didn't keep the game very competitive. The Miami Heat defense took advantage of Embiid's absence to focus their attention on James Harden. Harden had a rough first game in the Eastern Conference semifinal series,as the Miami defense kept him contained all night.

Wednesday night's Game 2 seems to be a must-win for the 76ers, who look to get their leader back soon.

Below, you will find a brief preview of each team followed by a prediction for the game.

"Back at it tonight."- @MiamiHEAT

Miami Heat preview:

"Epitome of this series: Heat defense clamps Atlanta..."- @WorldWideWob

Miami has been led by Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro to a 5-1 record in the playoffs. Besides the Game 3 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, the Heat have controlled every game they've been in from start to finish.

The Game 1 blowout win over Philadelphia was very impressive considering the Heat shot only 25.0% from 3-point range, which is what their offense does the most effectively.

The Miami defense has been as good as advertised, as they're allowing just 96.5 points per game. Holding an NBA team under 100 points is a great feat, and this defense has done this in three straight games.

If the offense can shoot the ball better in Game 2 and the defense plays with the same effort, Philadelphia could be in for another long night. The major key to victory for Miami on Wednesday night is to focus on the defensive end. That's because the saying in basketball that "defense turns into offense" is a mantra for this Heat team.

Philadelphia 76ers preview:

Injuries in the playoffs are always detrimental to a team's success. An injury to an MVP candidate could prove to be the downfall of the team's season. Joel Embiid's injury could very well put the Philadelphia 76ers into an 2-0 hole heading back to Philadelphia for games Friday and Sunday.

To get an upset in Miami on Wednesday night, Philadelphia is going to need efficient offensive production from James Harden, Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey.

In Game 1, Philadelphia shot an abysmal 17.6% from beyond the arc, which they will need to improve if they want to keep Game 2 close.

This is a case where the 76ers are outmatched in terms of talent, so they need to play harder and want to win more than Miami to come out with a win. It's impossible to replace Embiid's production with a bench player, so the 76ers have to play well as a collective unit rather than just rely on Harden or Harris to carry the load.

Pick/Prediction: Miami Heat 1st Quarter -3 (-110)

Expect the Heat starters to come out hot. The defense is a staple for Miami, and the Heat should shoot a lot better from the field and 3-point range in this game. The shorthanded 76ers will put up a fight but are just too outmatched without Embiid. Let's ride with the Heat to lead by 4+ after the 1st quarter.