The Sixers host the Heat on Monday night after suffering a devastating loss to the Celtics on Saturday night, hoping to get back on track. It all gets going at 7 o’clock at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center.
Latest news on Joel Embiid and Jimmy Butler
The Sixers’ 39-20 record is significantly better than the Heat’s 32-29 mark.
The Philadelphia 76ers’ remaining regular season games will be just as tough as the rest of the season.
The Sixers host the Miami Heat on Monday, and they’ll need to quickly get over their 110-107 loss to the Boston Celtics on Saturday.
Embiid’s MVP-worthy performance of 41 points, 12 boards, and 5 assists was overshadowed by the loss. He also managed to deflect three shots.
Embiid’s five games this season with at least 40 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists are tied for the second-most in the NBA and are the most he has ever had in a single season.
At this point in his career, Embiid is focused solely on victory. He has never been victorious in an NBA Eastern Conference Finals game since his entry into the league. But he’s seen enough big games, especially in the playoffs, to know to expect double teams.
In his last two games, the big man has blocked nine shots, but in his last three, he has shot zero for zero from beyond the arc.
The Sixers should benefit from their challenging schedule because it will make them focus on the finer points of the game, which can be the difference between winning and losing in the playoffs.
- Read also: The latest injury status Joel Embiid
Before the All-Star break, the Heat’s play had deteriorated. They had lost to the Denver Nuggets and the Brooklyn Nets.
Miami has lost two more games since coming back from the All-Star break, this time to the Milwaukee Bucks and the Charlotte Hornets.
In a 108-103 loss to the Hornets on Saturday, Jimmy Butler finished with 28 points (6-8 FG, 16-20 FT), three rebounds, six assists, and one steal in 33 minutes of action.
On Saturday, Butler demonstrated once again why he is one of the best players in the league when it comes to drawing fouls and finding his way to the free throw line, as he made 20 of his 25 attempts from the line.
In nine games played during the month of February, he has averaged 21.4 points, 5.2 assists, 5.1 boards, and 1.1 steals per game. As for the latter, prepare to make adjustments starting Monday.
76ers injuries
- Dewayne Dedmon (Hip) – Out
Heat injuries
- Tyler Herro (Ribs) – Questionable
- Kevin Love (Knee) – Questionable
- Kyle Lowry (Knee) – Questionable
- Omer Yurtseven (Ankle) – Out
- Nikola Jovic (Back) – Out
