The 11-3 Milwaukee Bucks take on the 7-7 Philadelphia 76ers in the city of brotherly love. Game time is 6:30pm due to the game being nationally televised on ESPN. Hopefully the game will help us all get that bad taste out of our mouths after watching A-Rod throw passes that would not have hit the broadside of a barn.
The Bucks beat the 76ers already on opening night. It is a game I feel like I’ll always personally remember because I wrote an incorrect headline that the Bucks had won 90-89. (The final score was really 90-88 and my editor was a little perturbed). This one will feel a little different with the Bucks still struggling with the injury bug. Who ultimately plays (Holiday questionable, Embiid questionable) will help determine who wins.
Vegas has the Bucks at a 43% chance to win the game and 2 point underdogs.
The Bucks looked strong vs Cleveland at home on Wednesday, winning 113-98. Let’s see if Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis can keep up their strong play.
The Opponent: Phila
Joel Embiid is a beast. There once was a chance the Bucks could have had him. He is coming off a 59 point performance against the Jazz. He will have a solid chance at winning the NBA MVP award.
I’m just not sure why they are 7-7, other than the team hasn’t really taken the regular season seriously and Embiid has been hurt. James Harden has also been hurt. But Tyrese Maxey is having a good year. (22/4/3) So is shooting guard De’Anthony Milton. PJ Tucker plays for Philadelphia now. He still fits that same profile as a potential “Giannis” stopper.
Things to tell your buddies as you are watching the game
- The 76ers franchise originally began as the Syracuse Nationals in 1946.
- The 76ers have had some really impactful players. But a personal favorite was always “The Stormin Mormon” Shawn Bradley. Standing at 7’6”, Bradley had a career year in 1996 averaging 13 points a game, 8 rebounds and 3.4 blocks. 3.4 blocks- per game! Brook Lopez of the Bucks leads the league currently, averaging 2.5 blocks per game.
- George Hill really “made hay” early in his career with the Spurs and the Pacers. But he was also traded for Jrue Holiday as part of a 4 team deal with OKC. OKC then turned around and flipped him to the 76ers Philadelphia then waived him and he resigned with the Bucks. It was like the Bucks got Holiday for free! (Well, minus all the draft picks.)
- Fans often question why Hill plays so much. To better understand why check out this statistic. Hill, over his career, averages 27 minutes a game. He also averages 1.1 turnovers a game. As a point of comparison 76ers point guard Tyrese Maxey averages 2.3 turnovers a game. Joel Embiid this year is averaging 4.3 turnovers per game. Jason Kidd once broke a record by having 14 turnovers in a single game in 2000 against the Knicks. Simply put, Hill does not turn the ball over. The Bucks like having his steady hand.
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