Philadelphia 76ers (40-22) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (45-17)
March 4, 2023 8:30 pm EDT
The Line: Milwaukee Bucks -5.5; Over/Under: +229.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Philadelphia 76ers travel to the Fiserv Forum to take on the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night.
The Philadelphia 76ers look to have cooled off from their five-game win streak as they’ve now lost three of their past four games after falling short to the Mavericks in a 133-126 road loss on Thursday. Joel Embiid led the team with 35 points on 13 of 21 shooting, Tyrese Maxey added 29 points while James Harden tallied 27 points with 13 assists. As a team, the 76ers shot a healthy 57 percent from the field and 12 of 27 from the 3-point line as they kept pace with the Mavericks in a tight contest, until the third quarter where they allowed the Mavericks to explode for 39 points to pull away in the end. The 76ers just weren’t anywhere near their best on the defensive end as they allowed the Mavericks to connect on 25 of 48 from the 3-point line which was always too much to overcome.
Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Bucks are coming into this one as the hottest team in the league as they will be eager to build on their league-best 16-game win streak after making light work of the Magic in a 139-117 win on Wednesday. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the team with 31 points, seven rebounds and six assists on 10 of 14 shooting, Jrue Holiday added 23 points with nine assists while Brook Lopez chipped in with 18 points on six of nine shooting. As a team, the Bucks shot 52 percent from the field and a sizzling 26 of 56 from the 3-point line as they hit the ground running and never looked in trouble after exploding for 45 points in the second quarter.
Looking at the betting trends, the 76ers are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games against a team above .600 and 5-2 ATS in their last seven road games against a team with a winning home record. The Bucks are 0-5 ATS in their last five games against a team above .600 and 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games overall.
Head to head, the 76ers are 1-4 ATS in the last five meetings in Milwaukee and the 76ers are 2-5 ATS in the last seven meetings overall.
The 76ers could be a little shorthanded here as Dewayne Dedmon is listed as questionable, while the Bucks will again be without Wesley Matthews with that calf injury. The 76ers have gone off the boil with three losses in their past four games and their usually reliable defense wasn’t up to par against the Mavericks on Thursday. The Bucks have been running through the competition for a while now and they will be brimming with confidence as they’ve won 16 in a row, so while I’m expecting a close one, I’m sticking with the Bucks to keep their win streak alive at least for another game.
