Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers will face each other on Thursday evening in the NBA action. The hosts aim for the place in the playoffs, and they look forward to building up on their latest win. The away side tops its division, but they need to stabilize the form to remain in that position.
Milwaukee managed to get back on the winning track after two straight defeats, and they want to stay on it. The home side eyes the best possible position ahead of the post-season, and they will search for a successful campaign there. On the other hand, Philadelphia searches for some consistency that should keep them on the pole position ahead of the playoffs.
Milwaukee Bucks – Will they celebrate again?
The Bucks enjoyed a four-game winning streak before losing twice in a row. However, the home side managed to bounce back in their latest match and improve to a 36-23 record, which keeps them at 2nd place in the Central Division. Milwaukee is two wins behind the Chicago Bulls, and they will be aiming for the top-spot finish at the end of the regular season. The Bucks celebrated a 128-119 win against the Pacers on Tuesday evening, thanks to a very good 55.8 field goal percentage. Giannis Antetokounmpo had a terrific display with 50 points, followed by 14 rebounds and four assists for 36 minutes spent on the court.
He has also been the leading player in Milwaukee’s offense with 29.4 points, 11.2 rebounds, six assists, and 1.4 blocks per game on average. This excellent Power Forward has a 32.30 Player efficiency Rating. Khris Middleton has contributed with 19.4 pts, 5.5 rebs, and 5.3 assists per contest, while Jrue Holiday has 6.7 assists and 1.5 steals, followed by 18 points per match. Bobby Portis averages 15.3 pts while having 9.2 rebs per contest. On the other hand, the Bucks will likely miss Grayson Allen, Wesley Matthews, George Hill, and Brook Lopez.
Expected Line-Up: Jrue Holiday, DeAndre’ Bembry, Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis
with best odds
Philadelphia 76ers – Can they put a better performance than the last time?
The 76ers currently sit on the top of the Atlantic Division with a 34-23 record, but they still haven’t clinched their post-season ticket. We’ll see an entertaining contest in this division since the fourth-placed Brooklyn Nets are only three wins behind Philadelphia. The visitors have been struggling with consistency lately, as they booked three wins on the previous seven occasions. Philadelphia suffered a heavy 135-87 defeat against the Boston Celtics on the home court, and they need to do much better in Milwaukee to secure a positive result. They had a terrible 28.7 field goal percentage, and only two players scored more than 10 points.
Joel Embiid has been the most productive player in Philadelphia’s offense with 29.3 points while dominating the paint at the same time with 11.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks. Tobias Harris averages 18.6 points per contest, followed by 7.3 rebounds. Tyrese Maxey produces 16.9 pts, 4.6 assists, and 3.6 rebs, while Shake Milton has 10.1 points per contest. Philadelphia can count on an almost healthy group of players as only James Harden will be out of the selection.
Expected Line-Up: Tyrese Maxey, Furkan Korkmaz, Matisse Thybulle, Tobias Harris, Joel Embiid
Expert Pick #1 – Milwaukee Bucks -6.5 @-110
Milwaukee is a solid favorite here, and Giannis is coming from a tremendous 50-point performance. On the other hand, the 76ers want to do better than against the Celtics, but the timing is not so good for them. Therefore, I’ll go with the Bucks ATS as my first pick.
Expert Pick #2 – Over 224 @-110
I don’t think Philadelphia will have such a terrible field goal percentage here, and this game should go over the margin. Milwaukee has been involved in high-scoring matches lately, and I believe these two sides will produce at least 224 points.
Expert Pick #3 – Bucks Over 115.5 @-115
Consequently, the Bucks should continue their scoring streak since they scored more than 115 points four times in their previous six games. The 76ers’ defense might not be able to hold them, and I’ll take this pick as the second alternative at slightly lower odds.
