The Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers are tied at two games apiece entering a crucial Game 5 on Tuesday night.
While it may seem like the Heat are in trouble in this series after losing two straight games with Joel Embiid back for the Sixers, that actually may not be the case.
Philly shot an astounding 48.5 percent from beyond the arc in the last two games, shooting 16-for-33 from deep in both Game 3 and Game 4.
To make matters worse for Miami, the Sixers were also money at the end of the shot clock, which makes things even tougher on a defense.
Spoelstra last night: "They had a handful of possessions that went all the way down to the end of the clock and made some big shots."
— John Schuhmann (@johnschuhmann) May 9, 2022
Indeed. The Sixers were an amazing 13-for-17 (6-for-8 from 3) in the last 6 seconds of the shot clock in Game 4 (via Second Spectrum).
It's hard to believe that the Sixers will sustain this pace, especially since they shot 36.4 percent from beyond the arc during the regular season. James Harden, who put up career-low shooting numbers this year, had a monster Game 4 for Philly, and it may not be wise for bettors to expect the same to happen on the road.
The Heat, on the other hand, did not shoot the ball well at all in Games 3 and 4, according to our own Reed Wallach.
The Heat shot 32/105 on uncontested field goal attempts in Game 3 and 4.
— Reed Wallach (@ReedWallach) May 9, 2022
Make or miss league.
Yikes. Miami is due for a little positive regression in the shooting department, but will it have enough offense to beat the Sixers with Embiid?
The oddsmakers at WynnBET have the Heat set as three-point favorites in Game 5. Embiid is a dominant presence, but he's also gotten plenty of help in this series.
If you don't believe in the Sixers to stay hot from the field and from 3, there is some serious value in taking Miami at such a small number on Tuesday night.
Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record in the NBA this season here.