Bucks Game Preview in Dazzling Downtown Milwaukee
Bucks vs 76er’s Preview- April 2nd
The 55-22 Milwaukee Bucks take on the 51-26 Philadelphia 76er’s at home in downtown Milwaukee Sunday Night. After a tough and somewhat shocking beatdown to the Celtics at home; this one has redemption written all over it. Milwaukee needs to prove that can win big at home. Should Bucks fans worry about that loss? Click here for some compelling reasons why.
The Bucks beat the 76er’s already on opening night. Then the Sixers beat Milwaukee on Nov. 18th in Philly. In game three Milwaukee lost to Philadelphia 133-130 in a really good game at home. Now we are onto game four.
Vegas has the Bucks at a 54% chance to win the game and 5 point favorites.
If Milwaukee loses again at home like they did against Boston, that would not bode well for the future, especially given that this is a veteran team with veteran coaching. At that point, what could anyone expect for any type of playoff run?
It might be time to see some greatness, again, from Wisconsin’s best living athlete.
Your Milwaukee Bucks- Keys to a Bucks Win
Rebuild Some Confidence- Be aggressive!
When you do a deeper dive into the statistics from the 140-99 home loss to Boston, the picture can look even more bleak. In what might be an Eastern Conference Finals preview, Milwaukee was outscored, out rebounded and turned the ball over more than Boston.
Boston only had 8 turnovers. That is amazing! (If a team in the NBA has only around 14 turnovers that is still good.)
To help rebuild some confidence Milwaukee needs to do what it has done all year in keeping with their team identity: turning defensive stops into points. Milwaukee needs some steals. They need to cause some turnovers.
Against Boston not a single Bucks player had more than two fouls except Thansis and he’s getting suspended for his third foul. Be aggressive! Try to punch the ball away. Don’t be a fitness team. It is ok to foul once-in-a-while. Play physical!
Controlling the glass “might” be a key
Philadelphia might just “yield” here. Against Toronto they managed a measly 37 rebounds. But they still won! For Philadelphia it is just not a point of emphasis this season. Philadelphia has struggled all year to rebound the basketball.
Currently Philadelphia is ranked 26th in the NBA in team rebounding. They average 40.9 rebounds a game. That’s not good.
Milwaukee has led most of the season in team rebounding. They are #1 right now with 48.9 rebounds per game. That is really good. To be the best means, well, you are the best. Milwaukee is the best rebounding team in the NBA.
The Opponent: The 76er’s
James Harden has been the “Joker” to the Bucks “Batman” for a big chunk of his career. When Giannis goes to Europe to visit family, Harden goes to party. For Wisconsin fans that still might jive but it certainly has created a villain.
Harden is playing really well this season with Sixers star and possible MVP Joel Embiid. They have been able to run the pick-n-roll as effectively as any team in the league.
Joel Embiid is a beast. (33/10/4) There once was a chance the Bucks could have had him. He is coming off a 35 point performance against the Mavs.
Tyrese Maxey is having a good year. (19/2/3) He is a spark-plug player and really can bring some energy and attack when needed.
Tobias Harris has been down this season. Averaging around 15 points a game, the 30 yr old is below all of his career averages.
Former Buck PJ Tucker has helped round out their starting line-up. He is not a statical “menace”, but his attitude brings the noise.
This is not an April Fools' Day joke. 🤣
On March 27th, PJ Tucker did his best Tony Snell impression. 😅 pic.twitter.com/mGr1UrgzkW
— theScore (@theScore) April 1, 2023
Things to tell your buddies as you are watching the game
- James Harden, in his career, has averaged 26 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds against the Bucks.
- Harden leads the NBA this season in assists (10.9 per game). Chris Paul led the league last season in assists. His “number”- 10.8 per game.
- John Stockton is the all-time NBA assists leader. He had over 15,806 assists in his career.
- Quick NBA scheduling question for anyone who may know: Why are the Bucks playing the Sixers four times this season? Traditionally teams play within their division four time and then play a conference opponent three times and an opponent from the other conference twice. (Example: The Bulls play the Pistons four times, the Bucks play the Knicks three times and the Clippers play Indiana twice.) This is the fourth game this season between the Atlantic Division Sixers and the Central Division Bucks. Why is that?
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