76ers at Heat
THE STORY: Two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference collide in South Beach when the Miami Heat host the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday. The Heat snapped a three-game slide with back-to-back wins over Western Conference powers – the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs. LeBron James went head-to-head with Lakers star Kobe Bryant on Thursday, scoring 31 points to lead Miami to a convincing 98-87 victory. The Sixers have been the story of the early part of the season, losing just twice in their last 11 games. Philadelphia rebounded from a loss to the Denver Nuggets with a 90-76 win over the Atlanta Hawks Friday, with five players scoring in double figures. Offensive balance has been the name of the game for the 76ers, who have seven players averaging more than 10 points. Miami has won nine of the past 10 meetings with Philadelphia, including knocking off the 76ers in five games in the opening round of last year’s Eastern Conference playoffs. The Sixers lead the all-time series versus the Heat 50-41.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, Sun Sports
ABOUT THE 76ERS (11-4): Whatever 76ers head coach Doug Collins is doing at halftime, it is working. The Sixers, who trailed the Hawks 47-39 at the break, exploded for a 25-10 third quarter run, limiting Atlanta to 4-for-17 shooting in the third frame Friday. Philadelphia is the best third-quarter team in the NBA, posting a plus-6.7 point margin, and also tops the league in third-quarter average, putting up 27.4 points per third quarter on the season.
ABOUT THE HEAT (10-4): While all the slam dunks and alley-oop tosses keep Miami on the nightly highlight reels, it’s the Heat’s 3-point shooting that is making the difference on the scoreboard. Miami ranks second in the NBA from 3-point range, knocking down 40.6 percent of its shots from outside. During their three-game road skid, the Heat shot just 31.4 percent from beyond the arc. However, they’ve connected on nearly 57 percent of their treys in the past two games.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Heat star guard Dwyane Wade is not expected to play Saturday due to a nagging sprained ankle.
2. Miami has held double-figure leads in each of its six home games this season.
3. Heat forward Chris Bosh is 12 points away from 12,000 for his career.