The Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers will face off for the 2nd time Friday night in Philadelphia. The Bucks beat the Sixers 90-88 on October 20. Using data and other tools, in this post we’ll be making our Bucks-Sixers prediction and picks, highlighting Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid. For more NBA best bets, be sure to visit the OddsShopper tool.
The Bucks are 11-3 coming off an impressive 113-98 win over the Cavs on Wednesday night. The 76ers are 7-7, coming off a win against the Utah Jazz 105-98 on Sunday with Joel Embiid having a career game (59 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, seven blocks, and one steal).
Best Bucks-Sixers Predictions & Odds
This line opened with Philadelphia as -3.0-point home favorites and early money is on the Bucks moving the line down to -2.0. The total opened at 219 and has dropped 5.5 points to 213.5. The Sixers are already without James Harden, while the Bucks have listed Jrue Holiday and Grayson Allen as game-time decisions which is influencing the money on the UNDER.
Bettors should head to DraftKings Sportsbook to tail the following Bucks-Sixers odds and predictions.
Bucks injuries cause recent slump
The Bucks got off to a fast start going 9-0, but then have gone 2-3 in their last five. Giannis was dealing with a knee injury causing him to miss three games, while Jrue Holiday has missed the last four in a row with a sprained ankle. Holiday practiced on Tuesday leading to optimism, he will play Friday. If Holiday is not able to go Friday, Jevon Carter and MarJon Beauchamp will see increased playing time.
Other players like Brook Lopez, Bobby Portis, and Jordan Nwora have stepped up over the last few games when the Bucks have been short-handed proving how deep their roster is.
The Bucks are 10-4 ATS but they have already had nine home games out of total of 14. Their schedule ranks as 30th which has helped with their 11-3 start. They are 9-5 to the UNDER with the #1 adjusted defensive rating, and 26th in adjusted offensive rating.
Joel Embiid Steps Up without Harden
It has been an up and down start for the Sixers who are 7-7 and without James Harden for the last five games. Leading into Friday night, they have won three in a row at home with impressive wins against Atlanta, Phoenix, and Utah. Unlike the Bucks, the Sixers schedule has been one of the toughest in the league ranking 6th. They have 11th best adjusted offensive, 7th best adjusted defensive rating, and 6th adjusted net rating.
In the last five games without Harden, the Sixers have gone UNDER the total in four of them by a significant margin. Oddsmakers have not adjusted their opening totals and tonight’s total has already dropped by 5.5 points.
The one key factor in tonight’s game is that the Sixers have not played since Sunday, so they are working on four days’ rest. Joel Embiid will be asked to carry the load again like he did on Sunday against the Jazz, except going against the Bucks is a much taller task.
Final Prediction & Pick
Both teams are practically even at full strength, but without James Harden, the Sixers are in a difficult spot against the Bucks. The Bucks should be getting Jrue Holiday and Greyson Allen back tonight giving them a clear edge. These two teams met on October 20th with the Bucks winning 90-88 as +4.0 road dogs and a total of 224.5. Now we get them at +2.0 with a total of 213.5, without James Harden this game should follow a similar path as their previous meeting and go under the total.
Final Bucks-Sixers Best Bet: UNDER 213.5 (DraftKings -110); Additional Bet: Bucks +2 (DraftKings -110)
