Two of the league’s top teams will meet tonight as the Philadelphia 76ers (39-19) will wrap up their road trip with a pair of games against the Milwaukee Bucks (35-22). The first of the two games will be played tonight, with the second tipping off on Saturday. Third-place Milwaukee is 3.5 games behind the first-place Sixers and a win at home tonight would do wonders in helping close the gap. Philly is coming off a heartbreaking 116-113 loss in Phoenix on Wednesday, especially after Joel Embiid’s full-court toss at the buzzer bounced halfway into the net off the glass, but ended up bouncing out and sealing the win for the Suns.
While both teams are in a good position in the standings, they’ve both had a hit-and-miss run, with the Sixers going 6-4 in their last 10 outings while the Bucks are 5-5 in that same stretch. They have both lost their last two in a row, with Milwaukee’s last loss coming at the hands of the Suns in overtime on Monday.
Sixers vs. Bucks, 7:00 p.m. ET, TNT
Pick ATS: Sixers +8.5
This is set to be a close game as stars from both sides will likely carry a lot of the workload. Joel Embiid is on an absolute tear lately, averaging 35.4 points and 12.8 rebounds through his last five games. Milwaukee is happy to have Giannis back after a bout with injury as well, and the game could hinge a lot on the performance from those two big men. The Sixers will be missing some players — Ben Simmons has now missed two games in a row due to illness and is listed as questionable for tonight’s contest, while Tobias Harris (knee) has missed three straight and Seth Curry (rest) is questionable ahead of tonight, too. Even given those circumstances, it’s hard to imagine a game that would result in the Sixers not being able to cover this spread, even if they end up losing. And don’t be surprised if that happens — the Bucks have all the pieces to get the win at home tonight, but most likely if they do win, it won’t be by enough to win against the spread.
Player Prop: Jrue Holiday O17.5 points (-127)
Holiday has been a key player for the Bucks through this last stretch, averaging 20 points per game through his last four outings — well over his season average of 17.4. He went for 20 points and eight assists in the loss to the Suns on Monday. In a situation where the Bucks will be at home against a possibly shorthanded Sixers, Holiday should easily see at least 20 points.
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