Philadelphia 76ers vs Milwaukee Bucks: Prediction and Betting Tips | March 14, 2024

NBA fans might as well call this the "Doc Rivers Game" as the Milwaukee Bucks take on the Philadelphia 76ers at the Fiserv Forum on Thursday. Rivers will try to get his second win against his former team as the Bucks coach. The first one was a 119-98 blowout on Feb. 25.

The Bucks are happy to be back in Wisconsin after a disastrous 1-3 road trip last week. They were humiliated by the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings and lost a close one to the LA Lakers. Their only win came against the LA Clippers in another "Doc Rivers Game."

Philly's back has been on the ropes since Jonathan Kuminga accidentally fell on Joel Embiid's right knee on Jan. 30. They are 7-12 since then and are coming off back-to-back 79-point scoring games against the New York Knicks. While the first one was a win, the second was an embarrassing 27-point loss.

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Philadelphia 76ers vs Milwaukee Bucks preview, prediction, odds and betting tips

The third matchup of the season between the Sixers and Bucks will be at the Fiserv Forum. Tip-off is at 8:00 p.m. EST and will be available on local channels NBC Sports Philadelphia and Bally Sports Wisconsin.

Fans can also watch the live stream on NBA League Pass, but it's a paid subscription.

Moneyline: Sixers (+295) vs Bucks (-365)

Spread: Sixers +8.5 (-115) vs Bucks -8.5 (-105)

Total (O/U): Sixers o220.5 (-105) vs Bucks u220.5 (-115)

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Philadelphia 76ers vs Milwaukee Bucks preview

Tyrese Maxey will have to serve as the Sixers' savior until Joel Embiid gets cleared to return. Maxey missed four games with a concussion and struggled on his return, scoring 17 points on 14 shots. He needs to be at his best if Philly wants to make it to the top-six in the East.

Giannis Antetokounmpo remained at the top of his game during the Bucks' awful road trip. Damian Lillard, though, had a torrid time making consistent buckets. Milwaukee will need "Dame Time" to start early to return to the win column.

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Philadelphia 76ers vs Milwaukee Bucks starting lineups, subs and rotation

Nick Nurse will likely stick to his starting lineup of:

PG: Kyle Lowry | SG: Tyrese Maxey | SF: Kelly Oubre Jr. | PF: Tobias Harris | C: Mo Bamba

Paul Reed and Buddy Hield will bring energy and scoring off the bench. Nic Batum is the plug-in guy playing multiple positions, while Cameron Payne relieves the veteran Lowry when needed.

Meanwhile, Doc Rivers will continue to modify his starting five due to injuries:

PG: Damian Lillard | SG: Pat Connaughton | SF: Jae Crowder | PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo | C: Brook Lopez

Bobby Portis remains the Bucks' sixth man, while Patrick Beverley and AJ Green get solid minutes off the bench. Thanasis Antetokounmpo might receive some playing time if things get out of hand early.

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Philadelphia 76ers vs Milwaukee Bucks betting tips

Giannis Antetokounmpo has an over/under of 32.5 points and is projected to score 29.7 points. A blowout win is a possibility, so bet on "The Greek Freak" to score less than 32.5 points.

Tyrese Maxey is favored to score less than his prop of 26.5 points. Shooting struggles are expected, as he missed time due to concussion. However, take the risk, and bet on Maxey to produce more than 26.5 points against the Bucks' perimeter defense.

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Philadelphia 76ers vs Milwaukee Bucks prediction

Joel Embiid's absence makes the Milwaukee Bucks the instant favorites. Philly could make it an interesting game if they're out of their funky shooting and could cover the +8.5 spread.

Milwaukee has not played great recently either, but they are too good to lose tonight. It's tempting to bet under, given the Sixers' scoring rate in the past two games, but the total should go over 220.5 points.

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