8:00 pm
March 4

76ers @ Bucks

Who will WIN this matchup?

Philadelphia 76ers (34-27)

@ Milwaukee Bucks (33-29)

 

Current odds:

Philadelphia 76ers: (-125)

Milwaukee Bucks: (+105)

 

• The line for the game is Philadelphia by 1.5 points.

• The Bucks looked set to make a big move in the East after earning an overtime win at East-leading Toronto coming out of the All-Star break but have since fallen to four straight playoff hopefuls, including a 103-96 setback to the Indiana Pacers at home on Friday.

• The 76ers were in a similar predicament after losses to the Washington Wizards and Miami Heat but bounced back with wins over Cleveland and Charlotte to pull into sixth in the East, 1 1/2 games ahead of Milwaukee. Philadelphia is 14-17 on the road and is kicking off a four-game trip at the Bucks.

• Philadelphia got a familiar face back when it signed veteran Ersan Ilyasova this week after he was waived by Atlanta. The power forward, who played with the 76ers last season and spent the first seven seasons of his career in Milwaukee, scored 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting in 23 minutes Friday in a 110-99 win over Charlotte. “The team’s play tonight, it was just tremendous,” Ilyasova told reporters after the victory. “There’s a lot of talented guys, and we just play as a unit, good things will happen.”

• Milwaukee’s recent struggles include All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is shooting 38.5 percent from the floor over the last four games. Antetokounmpo still found a way to score 20 or more points in three of those contests and insists he is not struggling. “I don’t struggle, I just miss shots,” Antetokounmpo told reporters. “Struggle has nothing to do with basketball. I know what the real struggle is. Missing shots is not struggle. (Not) getting into the paint, that’s not struggle. That’s missing shots. That’s not being able to find a way to be effective, but like I said, I have to keep trusting my training and if I can’t get in the paint, I got to keep making plays. I got to find open guys and eventually, that can open up the defense and give me driving lanes.”

• 76ers SG JJ Redick is 13-of-22 from the field over the last two games, including 6-of-11 from 3-point range.

4/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
Milwaukee Bucks
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