Sixers-Heat Preview: The Battle of The Streaks

If last night's Philadelphia Eagles' game hasn't made you sick of watching inept offenses, then we've got a treat for you!

The Miami Heat (27th in Offensive Rating) are set to do battle against the Philadelphia 76ers (29th in Offensive Rating) tonight, but in all fairness, both teams are fresh off of their most impressive offensive performances of the season. On Saturday, Miami racked up 114 points in a win over the Wizards while the 76ers put up 120 in a wire-to-wire W that same evening against the lifeless Phoenix Suns.

A victory tonight would give the Sixers their fourth straight win at the Wells Fargo Center - a feat they last accomplished midway through the 2014-15 season. More impressively, the 76ers have shot better than 50 percent from the field in each of their last two home games. According to our interns, the last time THAT happened was midway through the Eisenhower Administration.

Speaking of streaks, the 76ers have dropped their last five meetings to the Heat, and their last victory against Miami came in December 2014. Of the eight Sixers who saw action that day, just two - Robert Covington and Nerlens Noel - are still with the team.

Provided that Joel Embiid plays tonight, his matchup with Miami's Hassan Whiteside should be a fascinating chess match of sorts. As opposed to Karl-Anthony Towns who begged off of guarding "The Process" full-time, expect Whiteside to embrace the challenge of checking Embiid more often than not. That said, Embiid's ability to stretch the floor could (should?) reduce Whiteside's impact as an elite rim protector, making things easier for the Sixers in the paint.

Of course, there's always the chance that Embiid won't dress (see "management, load"), in which case tonight's post-Survivor Series edition of Monday Night Raw might be a better option.

The fun starts at 7PM. Join us.