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Horse Racing Milwaukee Bucks vs Philadelphia 76ers Preview and Expert Tip: Back Bucks in Lillard’s Debut
The Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers begin their 2023-24 NBA seasons on Thursday night at Fiserv Forum. This is not only the meeting of two of the league’s best players in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid, but it is a tale of the beginning of one era and the end of another.
Damian Lillard will be making his Bucks debut, while all signs point towards James Harden’s absence from the Sixers continuing. Harden requested a trade during the offseason, leaving the Sixers in turmoil once again. Milwaukee, meanwhile, brought back Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez, and flipped Jrue Holiday for Lillard.
Read below for our Milwaukee Bucks vs Philadelphia 76ers analysis from US sports expert Sam Cox. For more free basketball tips, visit the bettingexpert community, and for more expert tips, visit our Expert Insights section.
In this article:
- Milwaukee Bucks vs Philadelphia 76ers Expert Tip
- Milwaukee Buckers Stats and Form
- Philadelphia 76ers Stats and Form
- Milwaukee Bucks vs Philadelphia 76ers H2H
MILWAUKEE BUCKS VS PHILADELPHIA 76ERS EXPERT TIP
MILWAUKEE BUCKS STATS AND FORM
The Bucks are the preseason NBA title odds favourites after acquiring Lillard. Their perimeter defence has taken a massive hit with the loss of Holiday, but Khris Middleton is apparently healthy for the start of the season, and preseason gave us a glimmer of what the Antetokounmpo and Lillard pick-and-roll can be.
Milwaukee was fifth in net rating last season. Their defence was once again elite, and it will be interesting to see if they can get close to that level with this roster. They are heavily dependent on an ageing Lopez, who has a big role to play on Thursday night against reigning MVP Embiid.
On offence, the Bucks are going to be incredibly fun to watch. The Sixers have troubled Antetokounmpo at points, but like every team, they are in an impossible situation when it comes to the Lillard-Giannis two-man game.
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS STATS AND FORM
Like Milwaukee, the Sixers made a coaching change after a Playoff disappointment. Philadelphia is going to be a different team under Nick Nurse – Nurse’s first challenge is compensating for the loss of James Harden’s playmaking after the former Rocket led the league in assists in 2022-23.
Philadelphia will be asking Tyrese Maxey to step up once again. Maxey’s underlying metrics when asked to take on a greater playmaking burden are impressive. He has good chemistry with Embiid, and we’re bound to see the two run a lot of actions together on Thursday.
The Sixers are probably a top-six team even without Harden, but they are overmatched on the road against a Bucks team which went 32-9 at Fiserv Forum last season.
MILWAUKEE BUCKS VS PHILADELPHIA 76ERS H2H
These teams took two wins apiece to split the 2022-23 season series. All four of the games were decided by one or two points, making it six consecutive meetings with no team recording a winning margin bigger than two points.
The Sixers have won just three of the last 12 regular-season matchups. Milwaukee also has the all-time edge with 118 wins to Philly’s 105.
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