`The Milwaukee Bucks head to Philadelphia to take on the 76ers at Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night. The Bucks are 41-34 and sit sixth in the East, while the 76ers are 23-53 and near the bottom of the standings. This will be the fourth and final meeting this season between the two teams, with Milwaukee winning the first three matchups.
Milwaukee just ended a four-game losing streak with a win over Phoenix. Philadelphia has lost nine games in a row and has only won four games since February. The 76ers are dealing with a long list of injuries to key players.
76ers Preview – Searching for Stability Late in the Year
Philadelphia has dropped 26 of its last 30 games and has not won back-to-back games since January. They lost to the Knicks 105-91 in their last outing. Quentin Grimes led the team with 26 points and has been their most consistent scorer in recent weeks.
The team is missing many starters. Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Eric Gordon are all out for the season. Tyrese Maxey is day-to-day with a finger injury, while Andre Drummond, Kelly Oubre Jr., Kyle Lowry, and Guerschon Yabusele are also dealing with injuries or already ruled out.
Maxey leads the team in scoring with 26.3 points per game and is also the team’s top assist man. Oubre leads the team in rebounds at 6.1 per game. The team has also struggled on defense, ranking bottom five in opponent field goal percentage and defensive rebounding. They allow over 115 points per game and have one of the worst records against the spread this season at 26-50.
Bucks Preview – Aiming to Sweep the Season Series
Milwaukee comes into this game after a 133-123 win over the Suns where they shot 68.9% from the field, their best in team history. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 37 points with 11 assists and 5 rebounds in that game. The Bucks are looking to start a three-game road trip with a win.
Antetokounmpo leads the team with 30.4 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. With Damian Lillard out due to a groin injury, Giannis is also Milwaukee’s leader in assists at 6.0 per game. Ryan Rollins has stepped up recently, averaging 17.5 points over the last four games, and Brook Lopez continues to contribute inside with 22 points in the last outing.
Milwaukee is top five in the league in shooting percentage and first in three-point percentage at 38.4%. They’ve won seven in a row against Philadelphia and have covered in seven of the last ten meetings. The Bucks are 16-20 on the road this season but have covered the third-quarter spread in 17 of their last 25 games.
Betting Prediction
Milwaukee enters as the stronger team despite being on the road. The Bucks are 7-3 against the spread in the last 10 meetings and have already beaten the 76ers three times this season. Philadelphia continues to struggle both straight up and against the spread, covering in just 28 of 83 games this year.
With Antetokounmpo healthy and the 76ers missing many key players, the Bucks should control this game. Look for Milwaukee to win and cover the spread. The total could also go over, as the 76ers have hit the over in 52 of their last 87 games. Milwaukee’s offense should be efficient again, even without Lillard.
Pick: Milwaukee Bucks -9
