Philadelphia 76ers vs Milwaukee Bucks Prediction: Sixers to claim victory

The game between Philadelphia and Milwaukee will be one of the highlights of the NBA game day. The Sixers lost to the Bucks at the start of the season – can the 76ers get revenge?

After James Harden's injury, the Sixers are still looking for their optimal lineup, and every roster loss is especially notable given the current situation. For instance, De'Anthony Melton was out for one game while he originally filled in for Harden in the starting five. Melton is very important on defense and we're happy to see that he's finally recovered. In general, the trend of strengthening Philadelphia's defense has been especially noticeable with the regular appearance of Matisse Thybulle, while Montrezl Harrell has stopped getting chances.

In any case, the Sixers have won 3 of their last 4 regular-season games, moving up to ninth place in the Eastern Conference. Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey were hitting less than 40% of their shots from the field in a good stretch for the team, while Joel Embiid was dragging Philly. Notable among the role players was Georges Niang, who made 43.5% of his three-pointers and was the 76ers' 4th best offensive option.

Doc Rivers' squad played their last game four days ago in a home win over Utah, 105-98. Embiid had one of the best games of his career, citing his entire stat line. 59 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists and 7 blocked shots was by far the best performance by a player this season and the Sixers simply had no margin to lose. Embiid had to take the fall for Maxey and Harris, who once again failed. Matisse Thybulle and P.J. Tucker, who was selected in the starting five, combined for only 2 shots on the ground, but Thybulle made 5 steals in his half.

The Bucks have been having serious roster troubles of late which has seen them lose two of their last three games and lose their lead in the Eastern Conference. Nevertheless, Milwaukee has been more than up to the challenge. One of their recent victories came without Giannis Adetokunbo and Jrue Holiday, not to mention Chris Middleton who has yet to make his debut this season. Jevon Carter and Brook Lopez averaged 20+ points during their 4-game stretch, and rookie Marjon Beauchamp has been good. Giannis is back and Holliday's participation in the game against Philadelphia is questionable. Wesley Matthews, Pat Connaughton and Joe Ingles are still in the sickbay, but Grayson Allen should be back on the floor.

The day before Mike Budenholzer's team took on Cleveland at home and came out on top with the score 113-98. What is surprising is that Giannis scored only 16 points in that game, making him only the 3rd best scorer on the team behind Jordan Nwora and Brook Lopez. Brook made 7 three-pointers and Nwora had 5, and they were the only reason the Bucks made more than 40% of their long-range attempts that night. Giannis was just 6-of-18 from the field and hit 4-of-11 free throws with 8 assists. The same number of assists went to Jevon Carter.

Philadelphia badly needed the four-day break that followed the Utah game. The role players have been nursing injuries and De'Anthony Melton should be ready to go in the starting five. Melton is more useful than Thybulle at the base primarily on offense, and that's a big plus for the Sixers, who are also releasing P.J. Tucker. Tyrese Maxey has had time to rest, and he's bound to add, and Joel Embiid is in great shape as it is. Milwaukee is unlikely to be at its best if Holiday returns, as one of the club's leaders needs time to get into a playing rhythm. Jrue was a bust this regular season, so there's no reason to expect him to be stable. Our prediction for Philadelphia vs. Milwaukee is as follows:

• W1 (incl. OT) for 1.80;
• TU (217.5) for 1.555;
• H1 (-5.5) for 2.40.

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