The NBA continues to march down the court toward the postseason and the race is heating up. There will be several interesting matchups Wednesday night, although two stand out from the rest.

Heat and Sixers Continue Battle

The return of the back-to-back between the Miami Heat and the Philadelphia 76ers continues, now heading to Miami. The Heat took the last one 101-99 on February 27, and the Sixers want revenge as they continue their fight for the leadership of the Eastern Conference.

The Sixers want to add victory number 40 of the season after taking two consecutive losses and going 6-4 in the last ten games. Joel Embiid remains near the top in scoring, with 33 points on average, while Jimmy Butler has 21.9 points per game.

A better version of themselves can catapult the Sixers to victory in Florida. However, they need to overcome the iron defense that Spoelstra’s team imposes and see a better version of Embiid and Butler.

The Sixers were unsuccessful in their first game against the Heat two days ago, scoring just 99 points. Bettors can expect a better approach from Doc Rivers and a better scoring average from the key figures of the third-ranked team in the East, leading to the final score going over.

Philly bounces back and the over hits.

Lakers Meet The Thunder Without James

In one of the last games of the day today, the Oklahoma City Thunder will welcome the LA Lakers, who have suffered some bad news. LeBron James is still out due to injury and won’t be on the court for the next few weeks.

Both teams are out of playoff positions, and also out of Play-in. The Lakers occupy the twelfth spot in the rankings, while the Heat are just behind them.

The Lakers come into the game following three straight wins before losing their last to the Memphis Grizzlies. The Thunder haven’t had much success at all lately, dropping their last three. They’re now 4-7 in their last 10 games and are also 15-20 against teams from the West.

Both teams suffered losses in their most recent games and both want victory tonight. This is the second game of the three scheduled between these conference rivals, with OKC taking the first on February 7 in Los Angeles.

Being able to have Anthony Davis from the beginning provides quality for the Lakers to be the first team to score the initial basket in the game. OKC will have difficulty stopping him during the initial action and the rest of the game.

Despite both teams arriving with absences, both the Lakers and the Thunder are marked by attacking potential. They average 117 points per game, but also have trouble on defense, giving up 117 points a game, as well.

Even the books have had difficulty calling this game. In a tight run, and despite not having King James, the Lakers win and the total goes over.