The Philadelphia 76ers are in Milwaukee to take on the Bucks tonight after a disheartening loss to the Raptors on Wednesday. While the Sixers will be tired from a rough game at home quickly followed by travel, the Bucks will be well-rested after losing to the Cavaliers on Monday night.
Who: Philadelphia 76ers (8-6) at Milwaukee Bucks (8-7)
When: 8 p.m. EST
Where: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBA League Pass, FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin
The Sixers shot 40% from the three-point line against the Raptors, which would be good if the team wasn't handicapping itself in other areas of the game. Again, which has been a problem all season, the Sixers were absolutely destroyed in the third quarter, except for one game. The Raptors outscored the team 44-26 in the third, and after that, the Sixers just couldn't catch up, despite a late-game run.
The Sixers average 14.7 turnovers per game, but against the Raptors, that number jumped up to 21, with the Raptors scoring 31 points off the turnovers. Between the turnovers and the Sixers' offense leaning more towards an isolation game for whoever was the ball handler, the team has gone away from ball movement, pace, and the play of the first few games of the season. It's brought the Sixers to a 4-6 record over their last 10 games and doesn't look to change any time soon.
The head coach, Nick Nurse, needs to figure out how to rotate the players much better, with Maxey and VJ Edgecombe again leading the team in minutes played, combining for 75 against the Raptors. With Joel Embiid and Paul George having missed the majority of the games, Nurse has leaned heavily on the backcourt duo, and they won't last much longer if he continues to run them into the ground.
The Bucks weren't picked to be near the top of the conference to start the season, after dumping Damian Lillard and bringing in Myles Turner. The addition of Turner has helped star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who's averaging 31.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 6.8 assists on the season. The problem, today, is that Giannis is out for the next two weeks with a groin strain suffered in the loss to the Cavaliers on Monday.
With Giannis out, the team will have to rely on Turner, Ryan Rollins, and Kyle Kuzma to lead a group that includes Gary Trent Jr., AJ Green, and Bobby Portis. That's not really a recipe for success, and based on their two most recent games, the team isn't going to have an easy time with the Sixers.
While the Bucks are severely depleted, the Sixers will once again be without Joel Embiid, Kelly Oubre, and Adem Bona. Despite those losses, Paul George will return to the court, providing Philadelphia with some sense of reinforcements.
Defensively, the Bucks aren't a top team in the league, and without Giannis, the Sixers should be even more able to exploit them, who will have a pretty healthy lineup for the game. Ideally, this will be a game in which Nick Nurse can get Maxey and Edgecombe some much-needed rest and not have them out there for close to 40 minutes of the game, again.
Based on how the first 14 games of the season have gone, Nurse will more than likely not be inclined to give them a rest. Ideally, Jared McCain would see his minutes total grow, helping the second-year guard get back into game shape and find his comfort on the floor alongside the three guards who see the bulk of the minutes. McCain getting on the floor is the key to Maxey and Edgecombe not being run into the ground, but that's not really a trait that Nurse possesses.
As for what's going to happen tonight, you're guess is as good as mine, and until we see some sort of consistent coaching and rotations from the Sixers, the feeling has to be that there are many more losses on the horizon.
Sixers 131 - Bucks 114
