Heat host hapless Sixers

Basketball Betting Lines

03/14/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat continue their push toward a postseason berth when they host the lowly Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday.

The Heat are coming off a huge win over Chicago on Friday in which Quentin Richardson made 7-of-11 three-pointers on his way to 23 points while pulling down seven rebounds, as Miami handled the Bulls, 108-95.

Jermaine O'Neal had a season-high 25 points to go with six rebounds for the Heat, who improved to 2-0 on a six-game homestand and have won five of six, overall. Dwyane Wade chipped in 22 points and seven assists for Miami, which got 17 points off the bench from Mario Chalmers.

"This one we had to find out different ways to win," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We had to do it a little bit ugly. We tried to grind it offensively."

Miami is now percentage points behind Charlotte for the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference, 2 1/2 games ahead of the ninth place Bulls.

Forward Michael Beasley missed the Chicago game with a thigh bruise, while Dorell Wright served the first of a two-game suspension levied after he was charged with a DUI and driving with a suspended license. Meanwhile, veteran guard Rafer Alston was suspended for the season by the team after he went AWOL without telling the organization.

The Heat hope to have Beasley back in the lineup tonight.

The Sixers fell for the eighth time in nine games on Friday when LeBron James ended with 23 points and Mo Williams chipped in 21, as Cleveland pulled out a tough 100-95 decision over Philadelphia.

Andre Iguodala posted 30 points, seven boards and five assists for the Sixers. Elton Brand contributed 24 points and nine rebounds, and Thaddeus Young added 15 points in the loss.

"I hate to harp on it, but they win a lot of ball games and we don't," said Brand. "They know how to get the key players the ball at key times."

Miami has taken two straight from Philly in South Beach and also won the only matchup between the teams this season, a 105-78 rout in Philly on Feb. 16.

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Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

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