Filip Tomic
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The Philadelphia 76ers needed 6 games to finish off the Toronto Raptors and now they head to South Beach to take on the Miami Heat in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series. Tip-off is set for 7:30 pm ET on TNT and I’ve prepared a same game parlay which you can find below.
We also have predictions on the side and total for Game 1 of the Dallas Mavericks vs Phoenix Suns series, so don’t forget to check them out.
Let’s dive in!
P.J. Tucker 2+ made threes (+220)
Tobias Harris to record 8+ rebounds (-150)
Jimmy Butler to record 6+ assists (-162)
Parlay odds: +836
P.J. Tucker 2+ made threes (+220)
Coming into this series there are question marks surrounding P.J. Tucker’s health as he is dealing with a minor calf strain, but with Miami having 7 days in between games I don’t think that’ll be much of an issue. Tucker had a really solid series against the Atlanta Hawks, averaging 9.6 points per game off the bench on really solid efficiency. From the field, he scored on almost 56% of his shots, while from the perimeter he was making 1.6 shots per game on 3 attempts which was good for 46.7%.
With Philadelphia not having Embiid here, Miami’s game plan will most likely be to stretch their opponent’s defense and the best way to do that is to involve your corner three-point shooters. That should work really well for Tucker, as that’s his favorite spot from the floor to shoot from. He’s had at least 2 threes in 2 of his last 4 games against the 76ers. After setting the tone in the series opener against Atlanta with 4 threes, I believe Tucker is bound for another productive game here.
Be sure to check out our full Game 1 preview for Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat
Tobias Harris to record 8+ rebounds (-150)
Joel Embiid’s injury is a massive blow for the 76ers both on offense and defense. Over his last 10 games, the big man was averaging 14.2 rebounds per game and against Miami in the 3 regular-season meetings he was pulling down 13.7 per game. That’s a lot of rebounds that someone else will have to grab for Philly and I fully expect Harris to flourish be that guy.
Right now Harris is on a 3-game streak of at least 8 rebounds against Miami, with Embiid playing in 2 of those. Philly is most likely going to try playing small-ball tonight which could mean an increase in tempo. That could result in a higher number of rebounds as well. Let’s hope Harris figures out a way to be effective, as so far in the postseason he is averaging 9.5 per game in the 6 games against the Raptors.
Make sure you also check out our NBA mega parlay for tonight (+992 odds!)
Jimmy Butler to record 6+ assists (-162)
Butler will want to set the tone in this series opener after averaging 5.3 assists in 4 games against Atlanta. Kyle Lowry is expected to miss yet another game with a hamstring injury, which essentially makes Butler the main ball-handler for Miami.
Philadelphia has played him quite differently compared to any other team in the NBA during the regular season, holding him to just 18.7 points per game on sub-par efficiency. He shot the ball just 36.6% from the field and a pedestrian 14.3% from downtown, and if those numbers don’t pick up tonight he will have to opt for more of a playmaking role which should benefit his assist numbers. In 16 games without Lowry in the lineup, Butler is averaging 7.8 assists per game. Against Philadelphia, he’s averaging 6.7 dimes in the 3 regular-season meetings, so we only need him to get to his averages tonight to cash this leg of the same game parlay.
Read our same game parlay for Mavericks vs Suns (+814 odds!)
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