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It’ll be the Miami Heat taking on the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the 2022 NBA playoffs in the Eastern conference, setting up a reunion between Jimmy Butler and some of his former 76ers teammates. The Heat have the top seed in the East, but the 76ers might have the best player in the series with Joel Embiid. Here’s how the two teams match up against each other.
No. 1 Heat vs. No. 4 76ers
Head-to-head record: Tied 2-2
Overall record: Heat 53-29, 76ers 51-31
Leading scorer on Heat: Jimmy Butler
Leading scorer on 76ers: Joel Embiid
Odds to win series: Heat -150, 76ers +130
The Heat were able to take care of the Atlanta Hawks without Butler and Kyle Lowry in Game 5, but they’ll need both players back to be considered a threat here. Miami is an elite defensive unit with plenty of contributors in the rotation, which should make life frustrating for Embiid and company. Butler has been great offensively, so he’ll be tasked with carrying Miami on that side of the ball.
The 76ers avoided blowing a 3-0 lead by taking care of the Raptors in Game 6, setting this matchup up. James Harden needs to be a factor in this series, as does Tyrese Maxey. The 76ers have gotten strong contributions from Tobias Harris, which is a welcome sight. If the starting five can produce consistently, this Philadelphia team will be a lot to handle.