The Philadelphia 76ers have definitely fallen from their hot start to the season and now sit in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings, with a 31-20 record. At home, they are 22-2, but when they leave the Wells Fargo Center, they are just 9-18. Overall, the Sixers have dropped three in a row as they head to Milwaukee to take on the conference-leading Bucks, who are 43-7 and have won nine of their last ten. Can the 76ers pull off a big upset on the road and topple the Bucks? Or will Milwaukee move one step closer to the quickest clinching of a playoff spot in the history of the NBA? We have your sports betting preview of this Eastern Conference showdown right here.
76ers vs Bucks 2020 NBA Lines & Game Preview
Needing to bounce back.#PhilaUnite
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) February 6, 2020
📰 https://t.co/64PrT46qUD | @DKSportsbook pic.twitter.com/4YfEGzv77N
- When: Thursday, February 6, 2020, 8:00 pm ET
- Where: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee
- TV: TNT
- Radio: WPEN 97.5 FM Philadelphia / WTMJ 105.7 FM Milwaukee
- Live Stream: NBA League Pass
- NBA Odds: TBA
Why should you bet on Philadelphia?
The 76ers have lost three in a row, and each game has gotten uglier. They lost in Atlanta by 10, in Brooklyn by 21, and then in Miami by 31. They did manage a trade with Golden State to get Glenn Robinson III and Alec Burks to try and shore up the damage, but the fact is that the 76ers aren’t playing much defense, and their offense is simply running out of gas.
In that loss to the Heat, Jimmy Butler scored 38 points on his former teammates — and then got the fourth quarter off. Miami scored 81 points in the second half, a franchise record. And it’s not like the 76ers were missing center Joel Embiid. He had 29 points and a dozen boards, and Mike Scott put up 17 points in 18 minutes. Ben Simmons added 16. The problem is that this team does not play road defense. At home, they have a +10 average point differential. However, they have lost nine road games by double digits already. That differential won’t work well when it comes to postseason positioning, or playing a seven-game series.
Why should you put your money on Milwaukee?
Since losing at home to Denver, the Bucks got right back to a new winning streak, taking down Phoenix by 21 at home and New Orleans by a dozen down in the Crescent City. That game featured the first matchup between Giannis Antetokounmpo and rookie phenom Zion Williamson. Giannis put up 34 points and 17 rebounds, giving him at least 30 points and 15 boards in four straight games.
Khris Middleton put up 20 points for Milwaukee; the pivotal quarter was the third, as Milwaukee came out of halftime trailing by three before scoring 42 points in the period, building a lead that swelled to as many as 19. The Bucks held Williamson to just 5 of 19 with four turnovers. If you like Milwaukee against Philadelphia, you are impressed by that combination of offense and focused defense — and you see that the 76ers are having a hard time doing much of anything on the road.
Final Score Prediction
On paper, the Philadelphia 76ers ought to be able to play with just about anybody. However, their midseason trade shows the failings to this point as far as turning a talented roster into a championship-caliber team. The Bucks have been playing elite basketball season long, and they have been defending their home court, losing just twice as Fiserv Forum. Given the issues that Philadelphia has had on defense on the road, it is hard to see this game staying particularly close. I predict a score of Milwaukee 128, Philadelphia 110.
