The Philadelphia 76ers are in Milwaukee on Sunday night as they look to end their five-game losing streak and break up the Bucks’ three-game winning streak. The Sixers have been decimated by injuries, as they’re without Joel Embiid, Andre Drummond, Caleb Martin, Kyle Lowry, and KJ Martin, as well as Jared McCain for the season and KJ Martin for the near future.
The Bucks have been battling their own injuries, but nothing like the Sixers have this season.
Sixers game information
Who: Philadelphia 76ers (15-25) at Milwaukee Bucks (23-17)
When: 7 p.m. EST
Where: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBA League Pass, Bally Sports North/Wisconsin
Latest on the Sixers
Just as the Sixers season started to look up in December, the season has come crashing down. As Joel Embiid started to get back into a rhythm, he broke his sinuses and then sprained his ankle. As he’s recovered from those two, new reports have come out that he has swelling in the left knee, the same knee he had surgery on last season. As the Sixers near the midpoint of the year, many have started wondering if it isn’t time to shut the All-Star center down for the season.
As if the Embiid news wasn’t enough, Paul George, Caleb Martin, Kelly Oubre Jr., Andre Drummond, Kyle Lowry, and KJ Martin have also missed time. Guerschon Yabusele and George missed the Sixers’ Saturday night loss to the Pacers and remain questionable for today’s game. The Sixers just can’t seem to catch a break.
The one constant for the Sixers has been Tyrese Maxey, but the continued, extended use during games and his trying, maybe, to do too much has hurt him this season. While he leads the Sixers with 26.1 points per game, the Al-Star guard is experiencing one of his worst shooting seasons.
Currently, Maxey is shooting 42.1% from the floor and just 33.1% on his three-point attempts. The shooting is a career low, and his three-point percentage is the second lowest since his rookie season. Maxey also happens to be shooting 9.4 attempts per night, as the Sixers need him to score.
Latest on the Bucks
The Bucks are in fourth place in the Eastern Conference. After what started off as a bad season, they’ve stepped up and have been winning games. Currently on a three-game winning streak, they’re 7-3 over their last ten games.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is having another great year, averaging 31.4 points per game, 11.9 rebounds, and six assists. The Greek Freak is playing amazingly and is currently second in the league in scoring and fifth in rebounding. Coupled with Damion Lillard, who’s averaging 25 points and 7.2 assists per game, the Bucks have one of the top duos in the league.
The team doesn’t end with just those two though. Bobby Portis is having a good year and then you get to Khris Middleton, Gary Trent Jr., Brook Lopez and AJ Green and the Bucks have a formidable lineup that can go up against the Cavaliers and Celtics in the East. As they’ve improved, especially of late, the concern has to be there for the top teams as the Bucks are starting to really heat up.
What to watch for tonight
The Bucks are the fifth-best shooting team in the league and the second-best three-point shooting team. That is a huge problem for the Sixers, who rank near the bottom of both categories. The Sixers will need Guerschon Yabusele, and rookie Adem Bona to provide them with some solid minutes in the front court if the team has any chance of taking down the Bucks.
With Yabusele and George both missing last night’s loss to the Pacers, the hope is that both will return tonight and take some of the pressure off Maxey. George has been playing much better and is doing all that he can to help ease the burden on Maxey, as well as working to get his teammates in the best positions to score. Having the two of them back will be huge for a team that’s in the midst of the toughest portion of their schedule and riding a five-game losing streak.
What the Sixers could use is some of the athleticism that Kelly Oubre Jr., Ricky Council IV and rookie Justin Edwards all bring to the table. Oubre, Edwards and Maxey are pretty tough defensive trio when they’re on the court and the Sixers will need every bit of defense tonight if they’re going to win.
Prediction
Sixers 104 – Bucks 123
