The Miami Heat will clash against the gritty Philadelphia 76ers Wednesday night inside a loud Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA, as both teams engage in the league's play-in game. They tip it off at 7:00 p.m. in what should be a very entertaining affair between two teams that do not like each other. This is a solid matchup between the 7^th and 8^th-place teams in the Eastern Conference, respectively.  

Bookmaker has installed the 76ers as a solid - 4.5-point favorite in this clash. 

The 76ers (47-35) made a late push towards the play-in game, and they have shown tremendous resilience in the process. They lost the face of the franchise in center Joel Embiid for an extended time, but the veteran came back just in time to save their season. 

Now, can the 76ers get over the hump against one of their most hated and heated rivals in the Heat? They will look for Embiid to carry the load and get a red-hot Tyrese Maxey into the fold. The 23-year-old rising star Maxey is averaging around 26 a game. It has emerged as a solid second option to Embiid, who is having another monster season as he is netting an incredible 34 points per game. 

The 76ers will try to get up and down the floor and pressure the Heat's defense. He can have a monster night if they can get some clean looks and work the ball inside to Embiid. They also need to attack the tin to get to the line. 

Many feel the Heat (46-36) can put it together when they have to. They have had some nice deep runs in the playoffs over the years, and they still have veterans who do not shy away from taking the shot when it matters the most. 

Veteran shooting guard Jimmy Butler would love an opportunity to return and haunt his old team one last time. He has had some big games for and against the 76ers in his career. He is averaging 20 points per game and always seems to get up for games against them. 

The Heat have some depth, too, and that includes Tyler Herro, who is netting close to 20 a game and has been a great scorer, especially in the fourth quarter. He is a clutch player and has drilled some huge baskets for the Heat this season. 

The 76ers are 3-2 in their last five games and 2-3 in their previous five games against the spread. They are a strong 23-18 in their road games against the spread, and the totals have gone over in three out of their last five games and 21 out of their last 41 games at home. The Heat are 4-1 in their previous five games and 3-2 in their last five games against the number. They are a poor 16-24 in their road games against the number, and the totals have gone over in five out of their last five games. The 76ers are 48-33-1 this season against the spread, while the Heat are 40-39-3 overall against the number this season.