Embiid vs Giannis: 76ers-Bucks Preview, Odds, Predictions
After closing out their final West Coast road trip of the season with a loss to the Phoenix Suns, the 76ers are back to fighting for the top seed in the Eastern Conference tonight in South Philly against the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Milwaukee Bucks enter tonight with a 46-28 record and thanks to a few tiebreakers, currently sit in third place in the East. Milwaukee is one of three teams that is just a game behind the East-leading Miami Heat, who reclaimed the first seed in the standings over the weekend.
The Bucks have the toughest schedule down the stretch out of the four teams vying for the top spot, making tonight’s matchup against Embiid and the Sixers even more important.
The 76ers hold an identical 46-28 record and thanks to a tiebreaker they are currently the second seed in the East, but sit in a very similar boat as their opponent tonight sitting a game behind the Miami Heat. This is the Sixers final contest against a top five opponent for the rest of the season, and with how close the top of the East has been all year this game is vital for seeding purposes.
Injury Report
Bucks:
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (Probable)
- DeAndre’ Bembry (Out)
Sixers:
- None
Free Money
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Lopez vs Embiid
This will be the first time this season Joel Embiid will play against Brook Lopez. The last time the two faced off was nearly a year ago. Embiid is obviously the better player, but this matchup means that the Bucks are going to have two centers guard Embiid that play very similar play-styles.
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Both Bobby Portis and Brook Lopez are big centers that have found a new jolt for their careers with outside shooting. On the defensive side there isn’t much to say besides the fact that Embiid will now have some serious size on the court to match up against with both Lopez/Portis and Giannis in the key on offensive sets.
We all know what happened last time Embiid played against the Bucks right before the All-Star Break. The Process dropped 42 points and 14 rebounds on 66-percent shooting for a huge win in Milwaukee in the pre-Harden era of 76ers basketball.
A repeat performance should be even more likely with the absolutely stupid news that Jokic has seemingly surpassed Embiid for the MVP.
| TEAM | SPREAD | MONEYLINE | TOTALS |
| Milwaukee Bucks | +1.5 (-120) | -110 | O 231.5 (-110) |
| Philadelphia 76ers | -1.5 (+100) | -110 | U 231.5 (-110) |
Prediction
This will be the healthiest the Bucks have looked all season long, and the 76ers have been putting together great games despite the struggles of James Harden. With Embiid wrongfully dipping in MVP numbers, I expect nothing less than him balling out to silence the haters of The Process.
Plus money while getting points is absolutely crazy so I have to rock with the 76ers there, and if Embiid/Harden want to prove the 76ers are contenders this will be a win in South Philly. If you’re looking for more bets to make, check out TLL’s own Joey Props for some heaters.
Pick: Philadelphia 76ers +1.5 (+100)
Mandatory Credit: Morry Gash.
[…] off the bat is the Philadelphia 76ers eyeing a bounce-back win after the ugly loss to the Bucks on Tuesday. I was debating between James Harden for this, who has much better odds (-140), but he […]