76ers vs Heat Christmas Day Prediction & Player Prop Picks: Will Maxey and Herro Shine With Embiid and Butler Out?

This year’s NBA Christmas Day schedule features a lot of star power, but there will be a couple of notable absences for tonight’s matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat (8:00 pm ET, ESPN).

Joel Embiid has been a force for the 76ers (20-8, 8-4 away), but they are going to have to try to get the win in Miami without him, as the reigning NBA MVP has been ruled out with an ankle injury.

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On the other side, the Heat (17-12, 8-6 home) will have to make do without Jimmy Butler, who will miss his third straight game due to a calf injury.

But even with the two most notable names on either side both sidelined tonight, we should still be in for an entertaining encounter at the Kaseya Center. Embiid and Butler may be out, but that just means that the likes of Tyrese Maxey and Tyler Herro will have the stage to make some Christmas magic.

Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat Odds

Odds are courtesy of Bovada. If you’re interested in trying them out, we recommend checking out our Bovada review.

Spread

• Philadelphia 76ers +2 (-105)
• Miami Heat -2 (-115)

Over/Under

• Over 227 (-110)
• Under 227 (-110)

Moneyline

• Philadelphia 76ers +120
• Miami Heat -140

Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat Prediction

Embiid has played in 25 of 28 games this season, and he’d played in nine straight games prior to being ruled out for the matchup with the Heat. So, he was perhaps due for a day off, given that he is currently on pace to play 70 or more regular season games for the first time in his NBA career.

From an entertainment standpoint, his absence is certainly unfortunate. It’s also unfortunate for the 76ers, who are 0-3 without him this season.

Now, they certainly shouldn’t be written off just because Embiid isn’t playing. After all, the 76ers have won eight of their last nine games and are tied with the Thunder and Timberwolves for the best road winning percentage.

But the Heat should feel good about their chances of handling the Sixers tonight after winning at Orlando and at home against the Atlanta Hawks without Butler.

Best Player Props for 76ers vs Heat

All player prop odds listed below are courtesy of Bovada.

Tyler Herro Over 23.5 Points (-120)

A big reason why the Heat defeated the Magic and Hawks was Herro, who has made an impressive return to action after missing over a month with an ankle sprain. In three games, he is averaging 27.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 3.7 APG, and he is shooting 50.0% from three, 55.4% from the field, and 90.0% from the foul line.

• vs Hawks (12/22): 30 points (11 of 21 FG, 7 of 13 3PT, 1 of 2 FT), seven rebounds, two assists
• at Magic (12/20): 28 points (10 of 17 FG, 4 of 5 3PT, 4 of 4 FT), eight rebounds, seven assists
• vs Timberwolves (12/18): 25 points (10 of 18 FG, 1 of 6 3PT, 4 of 4 FT), three rebounds, two assists

Tyrese Maxey Over 30.5 Points (-115)

Maxey is coming off back-to-back 30-point games, and with Embiid out, a third consecutive one may be needed for the 76ers to win in Miami.

Against the Timberwolves on Wednesday, Maxey had 35 points (12 of 24 FG, 5 of 12 3PT, 6 of 6 FT) and five assists, and he followed that up with 33 points (13 of 22 FG, 4 of 10 3PT, 3 of 3 FT), ten assists, and four rebounds against the Raptors on Friday.

Duncan Robinson Over 11.5 Points (+105)

Robinson has become an integral piece of the puzzle for the Heat again after going through a pretty rough 2022-23 season, and he had a season-high 27 points (8 of 11 FG, 4 of 7 3PT, 7 of 7 FT) in Friday’s win over the Hawks. It was his fourth 20+ point game of December and his seventh of the season.

Look for him to have another productive performance tonight. Robinson has scored 12 or more points in three straight games, seven times in ten games in December, and 18 times in 27 games this season.

Because his odds don’t appear to have quite caught up to his current level of production, you can still get a lot of value with his player props right now. There’s a lot of juice with the over on his three-point total (over 2.5 made threes is -150), but even that is worth a look given that he has made three or more threes seven times this month and 18 times this season.

Where to Bet on 76ers vs Heat and Other NBA Games

Many of the top online sportsbooks offer a wide variety of NBA odds throughout the year.

In addition to being able to bet on 2024 NBA championship odds, you can make daily NBA picks on games all season long, including tonight’s Mavericks vs Spurs matchup in San Antonio.

Also, you can bet on the NBA All-Star Game and the major awards like NBA MVP, NBA Rookie of the Year, and more at most reputable sports betting sites.

There are numerous sports betting sites you can choose from that are good for NBA betting. Here are several books that we have reviewed and highly recommend:

• BetDSI
• BetOnline
• BetUS
• Bookmaker
• Bovada
• MyBookie
• Sportsbetting.ag

If you don’t have an account at a book on this list, check out our reviews to help you determine if it is worth your interest and your betting funds.

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