Bucks vs. 76ers NBA Odds, Preview and Pick (Archive)
The Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers are tied for third place in the East at 46-28. Both teams are a half-game out of the #1 seed in the East. With potential playoff position on the line, in which ways should we look to make winning NBA picks?
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Tuesday, March 29, 2022 – 07:00 PM EDT at Wells Fargo Center
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks have won 3 of the last 5 games and 7 of their last 10. The Bucks are coming together at the right time despite injuries to their key players: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Jrue Holiday. Holiday is a game-time decision for tonight.
The Bucks most recent outing was a 127-102 loss in Memphis to the Grizzlies. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 30 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 blocks, but it was not enough for the defending champions. Antetokounmpo is dealing with knee soreness, so his strong performance was encouraging to the Bucks and their fans. The loss dropped Milwaukee to third place, a position they will be eager to rise out of tonight.
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers won 3 of their last 5 and are 6-4 in their last 10. Their most recent game was on Sunday night where they fell to the best team in the NBA, the Phoenix Suns 114–104. Now the 76ers head home to make their final push for playoff position. James Harden had a rough night against Phoenix, going 2–11 from the field.
He filled the stat sheet up in other ways, garnering 9 assists and 7 rebounds but it wasn't enough against the class of the NBA.
76ers star Joel Embiid gave fans and the team a scare when he rolled his ankle in the third quarter. He missed the rest of the quarter and returned in the fourth quarter. It appears that he has recovered from the rolled ankle, but as is the case with Embiid, we must always be concerned with his health and fitness.
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Tobias Harris is the third highest-paid player on the 76ers but their third star is really Tyrese Maxey. Maxey gets to the rim and has a strong jump shot to create space on offense. Maxey has been playing excellently as of late. Maxey has averaged 19.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in his last 4 games.
Maxey has assumed the role of the team's third option on offense and has blossomed with the addition of James Harden. Harden draws the opponent's best perimeter defender. Maxey now has even more opportunities to showcase his developing talent and skills.
Jrue Holiday vs. James Harden
As the Phoenix Suns showed, even if Embiid has a big night, you can still beat the 76ers. The key to this is slowing down the second option of the Sixers' offense, James Harden. Jrue Holiday is one of the best perimeter point-of-attack defenders in the NBA and he will draw that unenviable task tonight.
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However, Holiday shows dogged determination and is very physical when in these situations. If Harden can have a big night against one of the best defenders in the league, the 76ers have a great chance to get the win. If Jrue Holiday and the Bucks can turn the 76ers into a one-man band, the Milwaukee Bucks have a great chance to get a road victory.
Best Bets
Milwaukee can do a great job against James Harden and the rest of the 76ers auxiliary scorers. It has been shown that you can survive a big night from Joel Embiid if you can keep his teammates from hurting you. Jrue Holiday has an excellent matchup here against Harden, as he's the exact type of defensive point guard that Harden struggles with.
Holiday plays physically to keep Harden from blowing by him but keeps his hand in a proper position to avoid drawing silly fouls. This should help stop Harden at the point of attack. Also, Milwaukee has strong switch defenders if Harden tries to use the pick-and-roll to shed Holiday.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is the same matchup problem for Philadelphia as Embiid is for Milwaukee, but Giannis should get more help from his solid supporting cast. For these reasons, I like the Milwaukee Bucks ML.
I also believe there is value in the total in this NBA matchup. As mentioned before, the Milwaukee Bucks defense has an excellent opportunity to have a strong night against Philadelphia's weapons. In turn, this game should be played at a slower pace, with a lot of offense going on in the paint.
Although fouls could be an issue here, I believe as the season gets close to winding down, the referees will adopt more of a "playoff mode" and call fewer fouls. This should also help the Under. Our second bet for today's Eastern Conference showdown is the Milwaukee Bucks/Philadelphia 76ers under 228.5.
NBA Pick: Milwaukee Bucks ML (+105) at Bovada (visit our Bovada Review)
NBA Pick: Milwaukee Bucks/Philadelphia 76ers Under 228.5 (-110) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline 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.