Eastern Conference playoff hopefuls go head-to-head on Thursday night, as the Milwaukee Bucks host the Philadelphia 76ers at Fiserv Forum.
The Sixers (8–6) have dropped three of their last five games and enter on the second leg of a back-to-back, coming off a home loss to the Toronto Raptors. The Bucks (8–7), meanwhile, have lost two straight, trying to stay afloat with Giannis Antetokounmpo sidelined.
The Greek Freak (groin) headlines Milwaukee’s injury report, with Taurean Prince (neck) and Kevin Porter Jr. (knee) also out, while Garry Harris (adductor) is questiobale.. For Philadelphia, Joel Embiid (knee), Kelly Oubre (knee), and Adem Bona (ankle) are out, while Tyrese Maxey (quad) is listed as probable.
Tipoff is set for 8:00 p.m. ET. The Sixers enter as 2.5-point road favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, while the Bucks are listed as +114 underdogs. The game’s total is set at 224.5 points.
76ers vs. Bucks Preview
The 76ers opened the season with five wins in their first six games but have largely fizzled since. Philadelphia has since lost five of its last eight — and while the offense has remained solid, an ineffective defense has the Sixers owning a perfectly mid 15th-ranked net rating.
Injuries haven’t helped. Joel Embiid has played just six games, while Kelly Oubre is expected to miss the next two weeks with a knee injury of his own. Philadelphia blocks leader Adem Bona is out with an ankle sprain. Paul George made his season debut last week, but is still easing his way back into game action.
Still, the Sixers remain dangerous. Tyrese Maxey has taken another tremendous leap in his sixth NBA season, averaging 31.9 points, 7.8 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game on 46/42/88 splits. Also, let’s take a second to shout out Andre Drummond; not only does the veteran big man lead the team with 9.8 rebounds a night, but after 14 years, he magically became a sniper — shooting 41.2% from deep on 1.3 attempts per game.
Considering the drastic roster turnover from their 2021 NBA championship campaign, things were going alright for the Bucks to start the season. While not elite, Milwaukee was hovering around league-average in terms of offensive (15th) and net rating (19th), even ranking top-five in field-goal percentage and second in three-point percentage. But that was with Giannis Antetokounmpo anchoring the squad.
Simply put, Giannis is everything to this team. The perennial MVP candidate, who’s expected to miss 1-2 weeks with a groin strain, leads the Bucks with 31.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game while shooting 62.9% from the field and a clean 50% from downtown.
The Greek Freak’s absence puts a magnifying glass on Milwaukee’s biggest weaknesses: mediocre defense and dreadful rebounding.
76ers vs. Bucks Pick, Best Bet
The Sixers will have plenty of notable absences on Thursday night — but none of them are nearly as detrimental to the team as Giannis’ sidelining is to Milwaukee. Even on the second leg of a back-to-back, count on the 76ers to march into enemy territory and take care of business against the detrimentally understaffed Bucks.
