Ahead of a very possible first round playoff (or play-in?) matchup, the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat will both be without several rotation pieces when they meet tonight in Philadelphia. In fact, they could each be missing All-Stars. Allow us to elaborate.
Per the NBA’s latest injury report, Sixers All-Star center Joel Embiid remains on the shelf as he continues to recuperate from his left knee meniscus procedure. He’s been absent from the court since January 30th. The seven-footer out of Kansas had looked to be well on his well to capturing a second straight MVP award this season. He’s averaging 35.3 points on .533/.366/.883 shooting splits, 11.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.1 steals.
Sixers forwards Robert Covington (left knee bone bruise) and Kai Jones (right hamstring strain) are also out. Power forward Tobias Harris is currently questionable with a right ankle sprain. Guard De’Anthony Melton is out with a back lumbar spine bone stress. Two-way player guard Terquavion Smith is with the Sixers’ NBAGL affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats.
The Heat, meanwhile, might be missing superstar small forward Jimmy Butler due to a right foot contusion. Miami reserve center/power forward Kevin Love remains on the shelf with a right heel bruise. Shooting guard Tyler Herro is on the shelf with right foot medial tendinitis, and power forward Nikola Jovic is unavailable with a strained right hamstring. Backup wing Josh Richardson is out following a right shoulder surgery. Two-way players Cole Swider and Alondes Williams are with the Heat’s G League affilaite, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. Among the ailing Heat rotation pieces who are playing, All-Star center Bam Adebayo (low back contusoin) and forward Caleb Martin (left thumb sprain) are both available.
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Both teams are currently 37-30. In the Eastern Conference, Miami is the No. 7 seed, while Philadelphia is right behind it at No. 8. Both are well clear (4.5 games) of the 33-35 Chicago Bulls, a team utterly content to be permanently mediocre. The Sixers and Heat are hoping for greatness, however, and almost certainly are looking to get out of the play-in tournament this season. Both clubs are just three games behind the East’s fourth-seeded New York Knicks. With Embiid out indefinitely, it doesn’t seem particularly
Tonight’s Wells Fargo Center meeting is slated for 4:30 p.m. PT/7:30 p.m. PT, and will be broadcast on ESPN nationally. In local markets, Sixers and Heat fans can catch the contest on NBC Sports Philadelphia and Bally Sports Sun, respectively. Per sportsbook aggregator The Action Network, the Sixers even without Embiid are slight favorites (-1.5) to win at home.
The Heat have won both their encounters with Philadelphia thus far this season. Both bouts were single-digit victories (it’s an average margin of 5.5 points), and on paper each team should be fairly evenly matched thanks to all these injuries. We’ll see if the Sixers can get a W on the board.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.