76ers vs. Bucks NBA Odds, Preview and Prediction (Archive)
With a championship under their belt, we know the Milwaukee Bucks will be in the mix in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Philadelphia 76ers’ big move in landing James Harden gives them the chance to be there as well.
Alas, the Beard’s still not ready to return, so Thursday’s matchup will simply be a showcase of two of the league’s top candidates in the 2022 NBA MVP odds going head-to-head.
The hometown Bucks are favored by 6.5 points at some of the top-rated books. Let’s see what the NBA odds tell us for this matchup!
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Thursday, February 17, 2022 – 8:30 PM EST at Fiserv Forum
Betting Preview
The 76ers got rocked Tuesday night at home by the Celtics, on the wrong end of a 135-87 evisceration. The loss tied Philly’s 2nd-worst offensive output of the season when they put up 87 against these same C’s in a 1-point loss.
With Harden’s debut on hold, and key contributors like Seth Curry and Andre Drummond in BK, Philly was only able to muster 28.7% shooting from the field, including a dismal 8-for-32 performance from 3-point range, a 25% clip.
How unusual was Joel Embiid’s stat-line? He hasn’t scored this low since dropping 17 in a loss to the Heat on December 15th. The 26 games in between, he’s been a man on fire, averaging 33.5 points and 11.2 rebounds. In fact, Embiid failed to top 30+ points scoring just five times during this stretch.
While Embiid is coming off a dud, Giannis Antetokounmpo was busy setting his season-high, dropping a 50-bomb on the Indiana Pacers on a stupefying 21 field goal attempts.
He finished 17-for-21 from the field and 14-for-18 from the stripe, while also adding 14 rebounds and four assists, helping the Bucks win 128-119.
The reigning NBA Finals MVP is averaging 32.8 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 5.8 assists over his last nine. Khris Middleton added 19 points and eight assists, while Jrue Holiday chipped in with 14 and eight dimes of his own.
Betting Analysis
The 135 points the Sixers surrendered is the most allowed in a game this season, as was the 48-point margin of defeat. The 76ers allowed Boston to shoot 56.1% from the field, and drill 25-for-45 from deep, a surreal 55.6% average.
Joel Embiid was almost a non-factor in his previous game, finishing with 19 points, nine boards, and six assists in 26 minutes of work. He was just 3-for-9 from the floor as this game was over early. None of this bodes well for how the 76ers are proving to gel and contend right this instant.
Milwaukee’s got its own backcourt issues. Pat Connaughton suffered a broken finger in a loss to Phoenix a week ago, and he won’t be back until at least mid-March. However, this is not worth overreacting to.
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George Hill (neck) is out until after the all-star break, while Wesley Matthews (knee) and Grayson Allen (hip) are game-time decisions. They also just dealt Donte DiVincenzo just a few days ago at the trade deadline.
Expert Pick
This is the second of three meetings between these teams this season, with Milwaukee beating Philly 118-109 back on November 9th. Giannis had 31 and 16 boards, while Embiid was out.
That was the sixth straight win for Milwaukee in this head-to-head. The Bucks are also 20-10 at home on the year, though they are just 11-19 against the spread. At 18-10, Philly is tied with Chicago for most road wins in the conference. They’re an impressive 17-11 ATS on the road.
Still, even with an expected Joel Embiid bounce back in an MVP duel vs. Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Sixers’ lack of firepower will show. For your NBA picks, take the champs to cover in a nice matchup just before the all-star break.
NBA Pick: Bucks -6.5 (-110) with Bovada (visit our Bovada Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.