Bucks Turn Attention to Struggling 76ers After Tough Road Trip
76ers vs Bucks Preview: Philly 10-21 Without Joel Embiid
On the heels of a tough swing through California, the Milwaukee Bucks return home Thursday (8 p.m. ET) to host the Philadelphia 76ers. Philadelphia is coming off a blowout loss to New York as it tries to stay afloat in the Eastern Conference playoff picture without reigning MVP Joel Embiid.
Milwaukee opened as 9-point favorites while the Over/Under is pegged at 224.5.
What can bettors expect? Read on as we break down both teams and assess the NBA odds in our 76ers vs Bucks preview.
76ers vs Bucks 
Day/Time:
Location: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee
Streaming: Bally Sports/NBC
76ers vs Bucks Betting Trends
The Philadelphia 76ers are 34-30-1 ATS, including 17-14 away from home. Philadelphia’s games have trended slightly toward the Over, as the 76ers are 17-16-1 against the Over/Under. Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Bucks are 28-38 ATS, including 14-18 at home. As for the Over/Under, the Bucks are 31-34-1.
Be sure to remember these betting trends when assessing the odds in our 76ers vs Bucks preview.
Injuries Bogging Down Philly
Joel Embiid’s absence continues to take its toll on Philadelphia. The 76ers are just 10-21 this season without the reigning MVP, who was leading the league in scoring at the time of his NBA injury. Furthermore, in the last 19 games he has missed, the 76ers have covered just 31.5% of the time.
Philadelphia is coming off a 106-79 loss to New York on Tuesday, which dropped its record to 36-29. The 76ers are just 3-4 in March and have fallen to seventh in the Eastern Conference NBA bracket, 1.5 games behind Indiana and only a half-game ahead of Miami. As such, the 76ers may wind up playing in the postseason play-in tournament.
While Embiid recently resumed on-court workouts, it is unclear when he might return to game action. Embiid has been sidelined since suffering a knee injury in a loss to Golden State on Jan. 30. He underwent surgery on his meniscus in February and was slated to be evaluated four weeks later.
Prior to his injury, Embiid was the betting favorite to repeat as MVP. He is averaging 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.8 blocks in 34 games.
Adding to Philadelphia’s woes, star guard Tyrese Maxey missed four games earlier this month with a concussion. Maxey returned to score 17 points in Tuesday’s loss.
Philadelphia is 34-30-1 ATS but has covered in just five of its last 18 NBA games. Keep that in mind when analyzing the odds in our 76ers vs Bucks preview.
Bucks Riding Roller Coaster
Inconsistency continues to plague the Bucks, who have followed up a six-game win streak by losing three of their last four on their recent West Coast swing. They concluded their road trip with a 129-94 loss to Sacramento on Tuesday.
Milwaukee is now 42-24, a half-game ahead of Cleveland atop the Central Division and 9.5 games behind Boston for the East’s best record. Oddsmakers remain bullish on the Bucks, pricing them +290 to win the East and +700 to win the NBA Finals, the fourth shortest title odds behind the Celtics, (+230), Nuggets (+360) and Clippers (+550).
Much of that optimism is rooted in — who else? — Antetokounmpo. The Greek Freak, as he’s affectionately nicknamed, continues to perform at an elite level. He ranks third in scoring (30.8), sixth in rebounding (11.2) and 16th in assists (6.4). Furthermore, he has been the team’s top scorer in 11 of the last 13 games.
That has helped take off some of the burden on Damian Lillard, the other half of Milwaukee’s dynamic one-two punch. Lillard is averaging 24.4 points and 6.8 assists in his first NBA season as a Buck and won All-Star Game MVP last month.
The Bucks rank fourth in the league in scoring (120.5), but their bottom-10 defense continues to weigh them down in their basketball playoff standings push.
Handicapping the Game
This is the last of three regular-season meetings between these NBA teams. Milwaukee won 118-117 in its season-opener on Oct. 26 and 119-98 on Feb. 25. Antetokounmpo shined in both matchups, averaging 26.5 points on 52.6% shooting to go with 12 rebounds and 1.5 blocks.
Antetokounmpo is listed as questionable with knee issue, but it may be just maintenance-related. He played 33 minutes on Tuesday and is averaging 36 minutes in five games this month.
Milwaukee’s 28-38 record ATS is among the worst in the NBA, but it has covered in seven of its last 10 games. At the same time, the Bucks have gone Under the total in 16 of their last 20.
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