The post-Giannis era is off to a rough start, but it’s not like we didn’t expect that to happen once they traded away their franchise player. Milwaukee is off to a 0-2 start to the season after a 132-125 loss in the early tip on Friday, now they play their first back-to-back scenario of the season as they travel to Philadelphia for a date with the red-hot 76ers. Despite the loss vs Chicago, there were some positives to take away on offense. As a team the Bucks knocked down 19 threes and shot 50% from the field, with Tyler Herro filling it up with 32 points. He’ll be the focal point of the offense vs Philadelphia as well, matching up with Tyrese Maxey. The oddsmakers don’t have a ton of faith in the Bucks here, they are 12.5-point dogs at the time of writing this preview.
Unlike their opponent, the Sixers have had a dream start to their campaign with two wins over the Knicks and Cavaliers. Thursday’s 29-point comeback against LeBron’s former team showed us just how much resilience this team has, they just refused to back down even when the Cavaliers were up big. Tyrese Maxey turned on the afterburners and had himself a 32-point game, all five Philly starters scored in double-figures so you could say it was a complete team effort in the comeback. If there is one thing that is concerning in these opening two games, it’s the three-point shooting. The Sixers are yet to shoot 30% from downtown, against a high scoring Bucks team they’ll have to top that if they want to cover the spread here.
When you think about it, the Bucks really have nothing to lose here. They’re massive underdogs and are playing on a 2nd night of a back-to-back. So this should be all Philly, right? Well yeah, but that’s not how the NBA works. LeBron and co. were down by double-digits in both games of the season so far, if they relax even one bit here the Bucks might make things interesting. I still expect a 76ers win, but I would much rather back the road team and the points here.
Bucks vs 76ers Predictions: Bucks +12.5 is available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.
