The 76ers were blocked by the defending Eastern champions on opening night, but face an injured Bucks team in a sweet spot. Find out why Joel Embiid & Co. will bounce back as we break down Thursday’s game into our NBA picks.
Two Eastern Conference heavyweights face off tonight as the Philadelphia 76ers host the Milwaukee Bucks, with both teams starting the season with sky-high expectations.
Joel Embiid and the 76ers will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing 126-117 loss to the Boston Celtics on opening night and avoid the pressure of a 0-2 start. For Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, it’s their season opener and a chance to test themselves against one of their likely rivals in the race to reach the NBA Finals in June.
Our free NBA picks and predictions for 76ers vs. Bucks on Thursday, October 20 tips Philadelphia for home cooking.
Bucks vs 76ers best odds
Bucks vs 76ers picks and predictions
The stakes couldn’t be higher for Embiid, James Harden and the 76ers this season, with a championship or bankruptcy vibe hovering over the team. Tonight is their home opener, and we expect Philadelphia to put on a show at the Wells Fargo Center.
Offensively, the 76ers are already purring. A reduced Harden rolled back time and had 35 points on just 14 shots against the Celtics – and that bodes well for a matchup against defensive stoppers like Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday.
The main reason to seek a victory in Philadelphia is the gaping hole in Milwaukee’s roster with Khris Middleton sidelined with a wrist injury. The Bucks showed in the 2022 playoffs that they still pack a punch without their soft-shooting wing, but they demand a lot of Antetokounmpo from both sides against elite opponents like the 76ers.
The Philadelphia bench was absent in Boston (only 11 points in total), but the second unit should have an advantage against a thin Milwaukee formation. De’Anthony Melton and Montrezl Harrell will both find more favorable matchups here, and Matisse Thybulle will surely play longer than his surprising 23-second cameo against the Celtics.
Antetokounmpo will likely be asked to carry the scoring burden for the visitors while taking on Embiid’s mission on defense, and the 76ers have the luxury of leaning on former Buck PJ Tucker to share the challenge of slowing down “The Greek Freak”.
After the beatdown in Boston, we expect Philadelphia to respond and prove their title credentials. The hosts have the scoring weapons to cover this relatively small spread.
my best bet: 76ers -4 (-110 at bet365)
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Bucks vs 76ers spread analysis
As a 4-point favorite tonight, Philadelphia offers solid value. Unlike the Bucks, the 76ers had a chance to work on some of the rust on Tuesday — and Doc Rivers will no doubt have highlighted defensive gaps to clean up, including how to keep their backcourt out of the kind of mismatches that Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brun destroyed. Hosts just need to be better at this end of the tier – and we anticipate a more committed and cohesive effort here.
While Milwaukee will rely heavily on a Giannis-centered offense, Philadelphia has a bevy of options. Holiday and Antetokounmpo are as good as they can be at defending the Harden-Embiid pick-and-roll, but watch Tyrese Maxey for having a great night attacking a struggling Bucks defense.
It’s way too early to talk about awards, but there’s no denying that Embiid and Antetokounmpo are among the top contenders for NBA MVP ratings. One of Embiid’s standout games last season was a 42-point, 14-rebound masterclass at Milwaukee in February — and he could approach that stat line tonight in response to a mixed offensive outing in the opener. of the season.
With a talent advantage and greater bench depth, Philadelphia is poised to quell any early-season panic and cover that gap.
Covers NBA betting analysis
Bucks vs 76ers Over/Under Analysis
The total of 225 seems fair. Although all three meetings between the two teams last season exceeded that number, October’s basketball neglect is baked into the line. The 76ers had 14 turnovers Tuesday night and new rotation players are moving in for both teams.
If the Bucks start a giant lineup with Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis and Brook Lopez in the frontcourt, it’s hard to see where the score from the bench will come from. The visitors may be relying heavily on Jordan Nwora and veteran George Hill to provide a spark.
Still, any defense with Holiday guarding the perimeter and Giannis and Lopez patrolling the paint is a threat. This version of the Bucks (without Middleton for 10 of their 12 playoff games) allowed just 101.3 points per game in the 2022 playoffs.
I like a slight Under tonight, especially with Middleton injured and Milwaukee’s limited 3-point shooting. After scoring 126 points in Boston on Tuesday, Philadelphia should be better defensively at home.
Bucks vs 76ers betting trend you need to know
Under is 7-0 in the 76ers’ last seven games after scoring 100 or more points in their previous game. Find more NBA betting trends for Bucks vs. 76ers.
Bucks vs 76ers game information
Location: | Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
Date: | Thursday, October 20, 2022 |
Trick : | 7:30 p.m. ET |
TV: | DTT |
Bucks vs 76ers key injuries
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