Quentin Grimes and Tyler Herro will face off Monday in Philadelphia.
The Heat (35-43) just secured a spot in the Play-In Tournament, while the 76ers (23-55) have been trying to cope without most of their starters. It’s one of only two games on this Monday slate (7:30 ET, League Pass), but these teams have been Eastern Conference foes for years.
Here are five things to know before tipoff:
1. Miami is looking for momentum heading into the postseason: The Heat thrives off of their elite culture. They’ve shown some of that toughness recently with six wins in their past eight outings. The only two losses in that span were narrow defeats against Memphis and Milwaukee.
2. Philly enduring without its stars: Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, Kelly Oubre and Jared McCain have all missed huge chunks of the season, and none of them are expected to suit up over the final week. Their absences have led to the Sixers losing 11 straight and 26 of their past 29 games.
3. New core for the Heat: The Jimmy Butler trade was a major rehaul for Miami. But his absence has revived Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo’s seasons while allowing for players like Kel’el Ware and Davion Mitchell to spread their wings. Ware has shown impressive growth, averaging 11 points and 9.8 rebounds since entering the starting lineup three months ago.
4. Sixers reserves looking to make a name for themselves: Philadelphia’s injury woes have allowed some of its role players to showcase their skills. Justin Edwards has been the biggest surprise, averaging 16.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.6 steals across his past 10 outings. Deadline acquisition Quentin Grimes has been even better, averaging 26.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.9 steals across his last 16 outings.
5. Miami wants to continue its recent success against Philadelphia: The Heat are looking for the season sweep against their Eastern Conference rivals, winning all three games against the Sixers. Miami has also won six of the last eight matchups, winning four of those by double-digit margins.
