The Philadelphia 76ers are coming off one of their more disappointing losses of the season on Friday to the Orlando Magic and they will now look to bounce back. The Sixers possess some impressive wins on the season so they have shown in the past that they can come away with a win when they need it and Saturday will be another test.
The challenge on Saturday comes in the form of the Miami Heat who are no slouch. The Heat continue to surprise the league as they were able to earn a win over the Indiana Pacers on Friday due to the heroics of Goran Dragic who made a clutch bucket late. The Heat possess a win over the Sixers after they employed a zone defense in the last matchup between the two teams.
With that said, it’s time for the guide to Saturday’s game:
How to watch Sixers vs. Heat
- Date: Saturday, December 28
- Time: 8:00 p.m. EST
- Location: American Airlines Arena Miami, FL
- TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Injury Report:
- Sixers: NOT YET SUBMITTED
- Heat: NOT YET SUBMITTED
Storylines
Brown expects more
After not rising to the challenge on Friday night, coach Brett Brown ripped into his team’s poor effort saying that they were not ready for the physicality the Magic represented. For a team with championship aspirations, an effort like Friday’s loss really is unacceptable for a team of this talent level. Philadelphia needs to learn from this and move forward as a group.
“I think that the physicality that Orlando played with, I give them credit, I don’t believe we responded well to it at all,” said a frustrated coach Brett Brown. “I think that our defense was good enough to win, I believe we got shoved around.”
Playing to the competition
The Sixers possess wins over the Milwaukee Bucks, the Boston Celtics, the Indiana Pacers, the Toronto Raptors, and the Heat who are all top teams in the Eastern Conference. They also possess puzzling losses to the Magic, the Washington Wizards, and the Brooklyn Nets as they continue to find an identity. Tobias Harris was not happy with the team’s effort on Friday as he admitted that the team played to the level of their opposition.
“I think we play to the level of our opponent whether that be a terrible team, a mediocre or the best team in the NBA,” said Tobias Harris. “I think that’s something we got to figure out as a unit of how we can play at a high level each and every night. Tonight, we didn’t do that.”
Prediction
Who really knows with this team? They can look like legitimate NBA championship contenders on one night and then lay an egg the next night. It’s really hard to get a read on this team and determine just how good and talented they really are. The Heat are a team that’s always hungry and they play with a high effort level each and every night. On paper, the Sixers are more talented, but talent does not always win in the regular season.
Pick: Honestly, it’s a toss-up. Guessing the Sixers due to their tendency to play to the opposition.
Sixers vs. Heat season series
Game 1 November 23: 113-86 Sixers
Game 2 December 18: 108-104 Heat
Game 3 December 28:
Game 4 February 3:
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