Philadelphia 76ers: Keys To The Game Against Miami

The Philadelphia 76ers go for win number four of the season at home against the Miami Heat.

In our first month breakdown for October/November, we predicted 5 wins for the Philadelphia 76ers. With a week left in November, the Sixers find themselves with 3 wins and 6 games left.

The first winnable game comes on Monday night when they square off against the 4-8 Miami Heat. Joel Embiid is probable for the game with ankle soreness, which he played through in the win against the Suns where he dropped 26 points in 20 minutes.

The Philadelphia 76ers have some life to them to start the season, and although they will most likely finish the year with the worst record for the second time in a row, they have a chance to be more exciting than anything fans have seen in the past few years.

Feed Embiid

If Joel Embiid is good to go, the offense will once again funnel through him. After his career game against Phoenix, Embiid will go up against one of the best defensive centers in the league in Hassan Whiteside. Whiteside is third in blocks and block percentage.

This shouldn’t stop Embiid from being the center of the offense. It’ll be yet another test for the standout rookie, and one that he can take advantage of.

Embiid is more than just a scorer. Over the past few games, his passing game has become more effective, as his potential assist average has jumped up 2.9.

The Philadelphia 76ers must go with their best chance to win, and currently that is Joel Embiid.

Let It Fly From Deep

The Philadelphia 76ers are 9th in the league in 3-point attempts and 9th in the league in 3-pointers made. This puts them at 14th in the league in 3-point percentage. The outside shooting is both a gift and a curse.

At times, the team becomes too reliant on the outside shot when Embiid is not in the game. That is both a gift and a curse. The Sixers have 3 players shooting over 40% from the outside who have attempted at least 40 three-point shots.

Unfortunately, they also have Sergio Rodriguez and Robert Covington who are shooting a combined 25.1% from the outside.

With the Miami Heat being in the bottom half of the league in 3-point attempts and 3-pointers made, there’s no reason the Sixers shouldn’t try to outscore the Heat, considering Philadelphia’s subpar defense.

Contain Goran Dragic

If the Heat’s golden boy is Hassan Whiteside, then Goran Dragic is the next in line. Dragic has showed incredible consistency over his nine NBA seasons, and this season is no different. Dragic has averaged 16.9 points per game and 4.0 assists.

The problem in containing Dragic is deciding who will defend them. Sergio Rodriguez is a poor defender, and T.J. McConnell often finds himself in foul trouble. The Sixers could switch Gerald Henderson onto Dragic, leaving the point guards to defend Dion Waiters.

Dragic’s scoring ability will cause problems, but if the Philadelphia 76ers can limit him while letting Whiteside get his point totals, they should be able to stay ahead of the Miami Heat.

Next: Embiid Can Be Unanimous ROY

Win number four can easily come on Monday night, and if it does, expect the wins to come more often. Four wins in the first month of the season is a huge step for the team that one just over double that total all last season.