The Philadelphia 76ers play host to the Miami Heat at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday.

The Heat (10-3) have been one of the biggest surprises in the NBA. In fact, Miami is currently in third in the Eastern Conference, just a half-game behind the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks. That's an incredible start from a team that had a ton of question marks coming into the year and it says a lot about how much this group has improved. The health of Goran Dragic is a major reason why but the addition of Jimmy Butler is the main reason for the success. That pairs beautifully with breakout seasons from players like Duncan Robinson, Kendrick Nunn and Bam Adebayo, as this is quietly one of the deepest teams in the NBA. It takes an amazing coach to work a roster like that and it's hard to argue that Erik Spoelstra isn't one of them at this point of his career. All of these factors have Miami in a great spot and they're certainly a threat to land the best record in the East if they continue to play like this.

The Sixers (9-5) were one of the best home teams in the NBA last season and that's definitely carried over into this year. In fact, Philly is currently 5-0 at home, while posting a subpar 4-5 record on the road. That's an unacceptable mark from one of the most talented teams in the NBA and it's bizarre that they've been so good at home and below .500 on the road. In the most recent victory, Ben Simmons hit the first three-pointer of his career. That's something that has been talked about a ton this offseason and it has to be a relief for this guy to get that burden off his shoulder. While it's not going to be a part of his game, a shooting stroke from an athlete like that would add a whole new dynamic to his already impressive game. If they can continue to get growth from him while getting steady production from Joel Embiid, Josh Richardson and Al Horford, the road woes should be a thing of the past.

Philly won the three-game season series over Miami last season, 2-1.