Miami @ Philadelphia preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 8, 2018 ) Philadelphia 99, Miami 108

The Philadelphia 76ers enter the postseason on a roll but will be without All-Star center Joel Embiid when they host the Miami Heat in Saturday's opening game of the Eastern Conference first-round series. Embiid missed the final eight games of the regular season with an orbital fracture but his absence didn't stop the 76ers from stretching their winning streak to a franchise-record 16 straight games.

Embiid will likely wear a mask when he returns and his responses indicate that a Game 2 return is possible. "Obviously, I want to play, but right now I feel like I'm not ready yet," Embiid told reporters. "It's getting better. I've got to keep working. With the way it's been progressing, I'm hopeful to be back soon." The third-seeded 76ers are a feel-good story after losing more than 50 games in each of the previous four seasons but will be tested by a Miami squad that is in the playoffs for the eighth time in Erik Spoelstra's 10 seasons as coach. "We feel we're battle-tested," Spoelstra told reporters. "I don't know if there's a team right now in the league more battle-tested than us in close games."

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN, FS Sun (Miami), NBCS Philadelphia

ABOUT THE HEAT (44-38): All-Star point guard Goran Dragic missed the regular-season finale with a bone bruise in his right knee but indicated that he expects to be in the lineup for Saturday's opener. "I'm doing everything that I can," Dragic told reporters. "Probably, I'm going to feel it a little bit, but it's not going to bother me. That's the only thing that I'm about, I can play through the pain." Dragic leads the squad in scoring (17.3) and assists (4.8) and his fitness will be crucial as he will be called on to slow down standout Philadelphia rookie Ben Simmons.

ABOUT THE 76ERS (52-30): Simmons recorded 10 or more assists on 10 occasions during Philadelphia's 16-game winning streak and he averages 15.8 points, 8.2 assists and 8.1 rebounds. He recorded 12 triple-doubles, second all-time among rookies behind legendary Oscar Robertson (26 in 1960-61) and either Simmons or Utah guard Donovan Mitchell will win Rookie of the Year honors. The 76ers have fared well without Embiid's 22.9 points and 11 rebounds and that impressed coach Brett Brown with one disclaimer - "I feel like what we've been doing without Joel is good, but what you should hear completely the loudest is that I can't wait for him to get back," Brown told reporters.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The teams split four regular-season meetings, with the home team winning on each occasion.

2. Philadelphia SG JJ Redick (back) will play after missing the regular-season finale - he averaged 21.9 points over his last nine games.

3. Miami SG Dwyane Wade needs 27 points to surpass legendary Larry Bird (3,897) and move into 10th place on the NBA's postseason scoring list.

PREDICTION: 76ers 109, Heat 104