NBA: With Embiid out, will Sixers feel the Heat? Plus Nets-Blazers

Heat +6.5 @ SIXERS (219.5), 7:05 pm
Heat +6.5

The NBA season resumes tonight and that means we get talk about load management in our handicaps again! The Sixers host the Heat and word got out yesterday that Joel Embiid is going to miss at least the first week of games out of the All-Star break due to left knee soreness. This seems like a precaution more than anything else from the Sixers as Embiid has managed to avoid any serious injuries the last two seasons and they want their franchise cornerstone to be healthy come playoff time. But with Embiid not in the lineup, against a Heat team that is one of the best in the Association against the number on the road having covered in 18 of 29 away games entering Thursday, Miami is the only side we can play here with the Heat catching 6.5 points.

Trail Blazers -2.5 @ NETS (230.5), 7:35 pm
Under 230.5

Just a hunch here, but I’m going to guess we see more unders than overs tonight. With teams returning from a long break I would think that could lead to some rust and sloppy offensive play early in games. Perhaps this more correlates to first half totals than full game totals, but 230.5 seems like a lot anyway. Both Portland and Brooklyn went into the break scoring a lot of points, as the Trail Blazers averaged 117 points per game in their final ten games before the break and the Nets have averaged about 115 points in their last ten. We’re banking on at least one of those teams landing below those averages in the first game back which should have this game under 230.5 total points.