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The Sixers are in Miami this morning without Joel Embiid, who is back in Philadelphia dealing with a fractured orbital bone. Not the way they wanted to approach Game 1, eh?

The Mavericks are in Phoenix today, discussing their own version of the Boston offense (the Celtics took 50 3-point shots Sunday in their loss to Milwaukee) and trying to figure out whether Chris Paul is capable of missing a shot or committing a turnover.

We enter Day 2 of Round 2 in the NBA playoffs wondering a few things: What would have been the fallout from Draymond Green’s ejection had the Golden State Warriors lost yesterday, something that would have happened if Ja Morant had kissed the final shot of the game off the backboard just a little more gently. Also, will Bill Russell have anything to say any time soon about the Celtics’ shot selection in Game 1 Sunday? Russell might want to mention that he won 11 championships scoring points 2 at a time instead of 3 at a time, and that worked perfectly fine.

We should see more of the 3-ball tonight because the Mavs have been shooting more shots from long distance than anyone, hoisting up 251 of them during the six games of their first round series against Utah. For context, consider that the Atlanta Hawks shot a grand total of 75 3-pointers during the entire 1979-80 season, the first season that the 3-point shot was allowed in the NBA.

With the way things are going, we could see Boston or Dallas attempt 75 in a single game.

OK, maybe that is a stretch. But the changing nature of the NBA is emphasizing too many shots being taken from 24 feet away and further, and one has to wonder whether that is a formula for championship success now that we are down to eight teams remaining and the teams that shot the most 3-pointers on Sunday both lost. (Memphis took 40 3s to Golden State’s 38 in a game that was not decided until Morant came up too strong on a last second layup attempt, allowing the Warriors to escape Game 1 with a 117-116 victory.)

Philadelphia will likely attempt more 3s than Miami tonight as Game 1 of that second-round series gets underway, because the Sixers need to find something on offense to replace the point production formerly contributed by Embiid. He will miss at least the first two games of the series while doctors try to assess whether fitting him with a face mask for Games 3 and 4 is the most prudent course of action as the Sixers franchise tries to end a championship drought dating back to 1983.

Embiid averaged 26.2 points per game in the first-round series victory over Toronto, and he will be replaced in Game 1 by some combination of Paul Reed, Paul Millsap, DeAndre Jordan and Charles Bassey, a couple of whom are household names only in their own households. Will Doc Rivers tell Tyrese Maxey, Danny Green and James Harden to let fly as much as possible from beyond the arc so that the Sixers can score points three at a time? That remains to be seen, but it seems safe to assume.

This much is certain: The Sixers are prohibitive underdogs for Game 1 against the Heat, with the line sitting at Miami -7.5 despite the Heat again being without Philly native Kyle Lowry, who would have had the defensive assignment on James Harden if not for a left hamstring injury.

In Phoenix, the only player whose absence will keep both teams from being at full strength is Tim Hardaway, whose recovery from foot surgery is now in the stage where he has not yet begun running. He is out for the entire series.

The Mavs could have used his 3-point shooting, but Dorian Finney-Smith, Reggie Bullock, Spencer Dinwiddie and Maxi Kleber all have rubber arms and all have attempted more 3s than Luka Doncic, who played in only three of the six games against the Jazz. The Mavs’ fortunes are tied to the ability of their superstar to carry them in this series, and it remains to be seen if Doncic is up to the task.

What other factors are in play tonight in the two Game 2s? What wagering angles are mort apropos to look at? Let’s have a looksee ….

Philadelphia (+7.5) at Miami: The Heat are back in action for the first time in six days since they finished off the Atlanta Hawks, and we should see the return of Jimmy Butler after he missed Game 5 against Atlanta because of right knee soreness. Butler has averaged 30.5 points on 53.4 percent shooting during the playoffs and is listed at +850 for Finals MVP. Butler is a former member of the Sixers who Philly never should have let go, as any Sixers fan will tell you in a moment of lucidity on those rare occasions when lucidity is being channeled in Philly. Butler’s over/under point total line has been set at just 24.5, which makes it seem as though the oddsmakers are channeling their inner Philadelphian. Take the over on that one (-105).

There is little game-to-game consistency on who else is going to contribute consistently for Miami. Bam Adebayo should be dominant this series because Embiid is out, but in the first round when he did not have to face Clint Capela, he still managed only single digit scoring totals in two of the five games. His point total over/under is 18.5 and his rebounds line is 10.5, and we counsel staying away from both because Doc Rivers may use an extreme small ball rotation that could force Erik Spoesltra to go small, too.

The player props with enticing odds that we like are Danny Green over 1.5 steals (+180) and Butler to have a double-double (+285). Because of the possibility of a ton of 3s being shot, stay away from the low over/under of 208.5 because if the Sixers are hitting from deep, it will get crushed. Problem is, we don’t know if the Sixers will be crushing it from 3-point range. They do not use that strategy often.

Dallas (+5.5) at Phoenix: Your faithful correspondent does not believe the Mavs have much of a chance in this series, and it should be noted that the price on Suns in 4 is an enticing +550. The Suns are head and shoulders better than the Mavs and have massive matchup advantages at center and both guard positions, but the Doncic factor (he is entering this series healthy after missing Games 1, 2 and 3 against Utah) is significant because the guy may be the single most talented played not named Antetokounmpo remaining in the postseason.

That being said, nobody killed it quite the way that Chris Paul did in Game 6 against the New Orleans Pelicans with 14-for-14 shooting. Paul also had 68 assists and just nine turnovers in the series for an absolutely sick 7.55 assist-to-turnover ratio, including back-to-back performances of 14 assists and zero turnovers in Games 2 and 3. He also had five double-doubles in six games against New Orleans, and his double-double line of -120 tonight is not playable, nor is his turnovers line of over/under 2.5, with the under at -155.

The thing you want to look at in this series is the matchup at center, where DeAndre Ayton should be able to dominate Dwight Powell, with Phoenix’ guards getting their assists from passes into the low post. Ayton’s point total over/under is 18.5, and we like that over (-110) along with Paul going over on assists (9.5) and Doncic doing the same (7.5) while also surpassing his point total over/under of 30.5 (-120).

Phoenix swept the season series but there were no double-digit victory margins, which is worth considering when looking at the point spread. We counsel staying away. The over has hit in four of Phoenix’s last six games, and we expect it to hit again (-110) with the line set low at 215. Why do we say “low?” Well, the last time a Suns game had a line lower than 215 was way back on Dec. 23 against Oklahoma City. Since then, the Suns have gone over in 34 of 60 games.