By Skip Charles in Vegas
The Sixers are winning the Joel Embiid matchup.
He’s shooting 6-of-11 when Bam Adebayo guards him, when he has historically struggled with Adebayo.
But in three games, he only has 20 shots attempts against Adebayo and Dewayne Dedmon combined.
Embiid’s broken face and thumb injury have limited him and taken his spark.
He needs someone to step up and carry and that might just be too much for James Harden to do at this point in his career.
Harden was great in Game 4, but terrible in Game 5. That’s all pretty predictable. When a player starts to lose his burst, it doesn’t leave permanently, it comes and goes.
The one consistent for the Sixers has been Tyrese Maxey, but too often the Sixers look him off instead of trusting him to create in halfcourt sets. Tobias Harris played great to start the series, but has struggled the last few games.
The 76ers are running out of options. Danny Green has shot 12-of-17 in the last three games from 3-point range, including 7-of-9 in Game 3. But since that game, the Heat have held him to eight 3-point attempts total. They’ve started staying home and bringing help from other areas to make sure it’s not Green getting volume looks.
| Winner | Odds |
|---|---|
| SIXERS | +325 |
| Miami Heat | -450 |
Odds as of May 11 at Bovada
