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The Philadelphia 76ers vs. Miami Heat line was listed at -9.5 at Sportsbook.comwith a total of 189.
Miami’s star guard Dwayne Wade did not practice yesterday because of symptoms of a migraine, a problem that has plagued him for years and kept him out of a game earlier this season. His status for Game 2 against the 76ers on Monday night is unclear. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said on Sunday that it's "too soon" to know if the 2006 NBA finals MVP will be available for Game 2.
Wade told the team that he felt a headache coming on Saturday afternoon before Miami's 97-89 victory, playing 35 minutes without any obvious discomfort. Wade scored 17 points in that game, five of them in the final 1:34 as the Heat held off a huge comeback attempt by the 76ers.
Philadelphia has held the Heat under 50 percent shooting all four times they've played this season, yet they’ve lost all four those games. One of the reasons for that is the fact that Miami holds a 127-61 lead in free throws taken in its series with Philadelphia this season, including a 39-15 edge in the Heat’s Game 1 win. Fouls — for and against — have been a season-long issue for the Sixers. They were 26th in the 30-team NBA in free throws taken this season, while Miami ranked third in that department. And while the 76ers had three players get called for fouls more than 200 times during the regular season, Wade was Miami's leader with 197.
If Wade cannot go on Monday, the Sixers obviously catch a huge break. And if Wade does play, he may have to wear goggles again to protect his eyes from bright lights — one major migraine trigger. Wade wore goggles with an orange tint when Miami faced the New York Knicks on Jan. 27, around the time of his last known fight with migraines. He made 13 straight shots from the field during one stretch of that game, finishing with 34 points.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
