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GAME STORY
The Miami Heat have a chance to close out the Sixers on the road and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Close-out games are rarely easy, and on the road, they are even more difficult. The Heat have their work cut out for them, especially after the way they performed in Games 3 and 4 in Philadelphia. There’s no way around it, the Heat will need to bring their best game to win.
And they are capable of it. In Game 5, the Heat got their shooting touch back and had their defense clicking in multiple ways in route to a 35-point win. Miami will need contributions from more than Jimmy Butler, who has been the best player in this series, to secure a win.
Kyle Lowry will miss another game with a hamstring injury, but the Heat are 5-0 without Lowry so far in the NBA Playoffs. The Sixers will likely look to feed Joel Embiid the ball differently to give him more of an impact offensively. Like we talked about here, Miami was able to front Embiid with the primary defender and put another defender on the back-side to make entry passes very complicated for the Sixers. Philadelphia turned the ball over several times just trying to get the ball to him. Doc Rivers will make adjustments and it will start with the angles, and with both players knowing when they pass is coming.
The Sixers may also begin to defend Jimmy Butler differently as Rivers alluded to that possibility postgame. And when they begin to send help on Butler, the Heat’s ball movement and shooters need to be ready. The Heat could really benefit from Gabe Vincent having a good game as he has against Philly earlier this season.
I’d imagine it’s going to be a great game, make sure you watch!
Eastern Conference Finals Schedule
| GAME | DATE | MATCHUP | TIME | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GAME | DATE | MATCHUP | TIME | TV |
| Game 1 | Tuesday, May 17 | Boston @ Miami | 8:30 p.m. ET | ESPN |
| Game 2 | Thursday, May 19 | Boston @ Miami | 8:30 p.m. ET | ESPN |
| Game 3 | Saturday, May 21 | Miami @ Boston | 8:30 p.m. ET | ABC |
| Game 4 | Monday, May 23 | Miami @ Boston | 8:30 p.m. ET | ABC |
| Game 5* | Wednesday, May 25 | Boston @ Miami | 8:30 p.m. ET | ESPN |
| Game 6* | Friday, May 27 | Miami @ Boston | 8:30 p.m. ET | ESPN |
| Game 7* | Sunday, May 29 | Boston @ Miami | 8:30 p.m. ET | ESPN |
INACTIVE/INJURIES
MIAMI:
- Kyle Lowry: out (hamstring)
- Tyler Herro: questionable (ankle)
- Caleb Martin: questionable (ankle)
- Max Strus: questionable (hamstring)
- PJ Tucker: questionable (calf)
- Gabe Vincent: questionable (knee)
PHILADELPHIA:
- Joel Embiid: questionable (facial fracture)
- Matisse Thybulle: questionable (foot)
- Isaiah Joe: questionable (ankle)
LINEUPS
Projected Starters
| Clippers | Position | Heat |
|---|---|---|
| Clippers | Position | Heat |
| Reggie Jackson | PG | Kyle Lowry |
| Paul George | SG | Tyler Herro |
| Kawhi Leonard | SF | Jimmy Butler |
| Marcus Morris Sr. | PF | Caleb Martin |
| Ivica Zubac | C | Bam Adebayo |
ODDS (via DRAFTKINGS)
The odds can be found at DraftKings. The Heat are a +2 on the spread and the game as a 207 over/under the line. It’s easy to place bets on DraftKings, click the link at the bottom to get started.
BROADCAST INFO
TV: TNT
RADIO: The Ticket 790AM & The HEAT Radio Network (Jason Jackson, Ruth Riley Hunter)
SPANISH RADIO: WAQI 710AM & The HEAT Spanish Radio Network (José Pañeda, Joe Pujala)
Come back to Hot Hot Hoops at game time to join our GameThread and chat about the game live with other Heat fans!
Check out DraftKings Sportsbook, the official sportsbook partner of SB Nation.
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