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The struggling Milwaukee Bucks will square off against the heavily undermanned Philadelphia 76ers on the latter’s home floor at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA on Tuesday.
The Bucks are only 1-5 in their last six games and have lost four consecutive home games. They are nowhere near the efficient machine that they have been in the last two years. The injury bug bit them early and they are still trying to incorporate Bobby Portis and Jrue Holiday back into the flow of things.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is playing like an MVP but has not received the kind of support he has had in the last couple of years. The Milwaukee Bucks will preach patience, but they need to get back into winning form as soon as possible in the loaded East.
Prior to the game against the New York Knicks, the Philadelphia 76ers were in a six-game winning run even without Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons. They also won eight of their ten games before succumbing to the Knicks. Losing Embiid to health and safety protocols greatly harms Philly’s chances of winning games.
They will be hard-pressed to win the second game of a back-to-back against the rested defending champs despite the latter’s struggles.
Match Details
Fixture: Milwaukee Bucks vs Philadelphia 76ers | 2021-22 NBA season.
Date & Time: Tuesday, November 9th; 7:30 PM ET (Wednesday, November 10th; 6:00 AM IST).
Venue: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA.
Milwaukee Bucks Preview
The Milwaukee Bucks’ overall play isn’t just what the NBA is accustomed to seeing, three weeks into the new season. Their offensive rating of 116.5, which finished fifth last campaign, is now down to 105.3, which is 18th in the league this season. Mike Budenholzer’s team is also now just a middling team on defense with a 107 defensive rating, ranking 17th in the league.
All the stats point to a middle-of-the-pack team, which isn’t at all surprising as the Milwaukee Bucks have been operating on one leg. If Holiday and Portis stay in the lineup, they’ll eventually round to form. The Bucks are so much better when their All-Star guard and backup big man are around. They just can’t afford to lose that many games this early because of how stacked the East is this season.
Key Player - Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounmpo has been the constant for the Milwaukee Bucks this season. He has been the anchor on offense and defense since the champs opened their defense. Their 4-5 record could have been so much worse if not for The Greek Freak.
Despite all the defense keyed in on him, the two-time MVP has been stellar with 27 PPG, 11.1 RPG and a career-high six APG. He leads the team in scoring, rebounding, assists and field goal percentage. Giannis' sustained dominance on both ends of the ball is the biggest reason why the Milwaukee Bucks are still competitive despite a spate of injuries.
The Philadelphia 76ers' game plan on defense will unsurprisingly focus on the Greek superstar.
Milwaukee Bucks Predicted Lineup
G - Jrue Holiday | G - Grayson Allen | F - Pat Connaughton | F - Giannis Antetokounmpo | C - Bobby Portis.
Philadelphia 76ers Preview
The Philadelphia 76ers’ campaign will revolve around the team’s health moving forward. Philly just got Danny Green back for the game against the New York Knicks, but lost the team's player Joel Embiid. The All-Star center will have to sit out for at least 10 days due to a COVID-19 positive test. The 76ers are still waiting for the return of Tobias Harris who is also under the health and safety protocols.
The Philadelphia 76ers have managed to stay at the top of the East thanks to JoJo. Although he has not been scoring much, he has involved his teammates more than ever this season.
Andre Drummond has been excellent in the games where Embiid has sat out and will have to be superb in order to hold the fort. He’s going to need all the support he can get from Georges Niang, Seth Curry and the rest of the roster to keep the Philadelphia 76ers afloat.
Key Player - Andre Drummond
Without their four-time All-Star, Andre Drummond has been quite spectacular for the Philadelphia 76ers. In their loss against the Knicks, he tallied 14 points and 25 rebounds, including eight on the offensive boards. When Drummond plays the way he has been playing, the 76ers get a legitimate post threat who also happens to be an underrated passer.
In the Philadelphia 76ers' last game without Embiid, Drummond led the team to an upset victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. He tallied 14 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and five steals. The team outscored the Blazers by a team-high 15 points in Drummond’s 34 minutes of action.
The four-time rebounding champ has piled up averages of 14 points and 20 rebounds when starting in place of Embiid. Drummond's play and presence at the post allow Curry, Niang, and Korkmaz to get decent room to operate.
Philadelphia 76ers Predicted Lineup
G - Tyrese Maxey | G - Seth Curry | F - Matisse Thybulle | F - Furkan Korkmaz | C - Andre Drummond.
Bucks vs 76ers Prediction
The Milwaukee Bucks have gotten healthier as the season goes on while the Philadelphia 76ers are going to miss Joel Embiid for at least 10 days. Philly has been very competitive and good without Embiid in the two games in which he did not suit up.
However, they will be playing the second night of a back-to-back against the well-rested defending champions. The Milwaukee Bucks should likely beat the Philadelphia 76ers to end their losing streak.
Where to watch Bucks vs 76ers
TNT will air the matchup between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers live nationally. The NBA League Pass will also feature the same game on live stream.
Guess the Lakers players!
