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Thursday will see the Philadelphia 76ers and the Miami Heat face off for the last time in the 2020-21 NBA regular season.
Both squads have clinched their playoff spots. The Miami Heat (38-31) secured the fifth seed in the East after sweeping the Boston Celtics on the road. The Philadelphia 76ers (47-22), on the other hand, will clinch the top seed in the East with a win or with a Milwaukee Bucks loss.
The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Miami Heat in their previous two games of the 2020-21 NBA campaign.
Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat prediction
Thursday's game is of relative importance for both the Philadelphia 76ers and the Miami Heat.
The Philadelphia 76ers are looking to grab the top seed of the Eastern Conference by the end of the 2020-21 NBA season, and this game provides them with a chance they would not want to miss.
The Miami Heat, on the other hand, have secured a top 6 spot in the East thanks to their red-hot form in recent games. They have secured seven wins out of their last 10 games and are on a three-game winning streak. The Heat are fighting for a top 4 place too, as they are 0.5 games behind the Atlanta Hawks (39-31).
At full strength, the Philadelphia 76ers' top-rated defense will trouble the Miami Heat's struggling offense (21st in the NBA). However, the Heat also have a strong defense (seventh in the NBA).
The 76ers have not confirmed Joel Embiid's presence for this matchup, and with the NBA Playoffs closing in, they are likely to keep him as rested as possible.
The Cameroonian center missed the team's previous game against the Indiana Pacers with an illness and is listed as questionable for Thursday's game.
Having said that, the Philadelphia 76ers could still defeat the Miami Heat even without Embiid.
Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat combined starting 5
Point Guard - Ben Simmons | Shooting Guard - Duncan Robinson | Small Forward - Jimmy Butler | Power Forward - Tobias Harris | Center - Bam Adebayo
With Joel Embiid's possible absence, Ben Simmons will need to guide Doc Rivers' Philadelphia 76ers to a win over the Miami Heat.
Simmons is averaging his customary 14 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game this year. He's also been efficient from the floor, making 55.7% of his field goals, and has been alert on defense, with 1.6 steals per game and the sixth-best Defensive Rating in the NBA (third among Philadelphia 76ers' players).
On the Miami Heat's side, Duncan Robinson deserves praise for his contributions as a shooter and for his durability throughout the year (he has played in each of the team's 69 games).
The Miami Heat sniper has again shown his tremendous ability from the three-point line and has made over 200 three-pointers in the regular season. He set a franchise record of 270 threes last year and has 242 (fourth-most in the league) this year.
Robinson averages 8.5 attempts from three per game and is shooting 41% from beyond the arc in the 2020-21 NBA season.
Jimmy Butler, on his end, has been the Miami Heat's most important player. He is a leader on the court and a big presence in the locker room. The team has been excellent with him (32-19 record) and has struggled without him (6-12).
Butler is putting up 21.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, 7.2 assists and a league-leading 2.1 steals per game this season. He's also made 49.6% of his field goals and leads the team in Defensive Rating too.
Meanwhile, Tobias Harris has been one of the best players in the Philadelphia 76ers team. He arguably deserved All-Star recognition for his fantastic 2020-21 campaign.
Harris is averaging 19.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game while posting 51.5/40.1/89.3 shooting splits for the Philadelphia 76ers in 60 appearances.
Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo is a positive leader on his team and is fantastic on both ends of the basketball court.
Adebayo is averaging 18.9 points, nine rebounds, a career-high 5.3 assists, a steal and a block per game. He is also second on the team in Defensive Rating and is second in Win Shares.
Also read: Top 5 Buzzer-Beaters in NBA Playoffs History
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