The Milwaukee Bucks are having a roller coaster season that has seen some real lows but also incredible highs. They will look to start a winning streak against the Philadelphia 76ers, who defeated the Bucks on November 20th 123-114.
Good luck understanding the Milwaukee Bucks. In the last preview, I said the Bucks play to the level of their competition, and this week has been the perfect example of that. If you had told me the Bucks would go 1-1 this week, I would have guessed that the win came against a bottom-of-the-Eastern-conference Wizards team and the loss would be due to the top-of-the-East Detroit Pistons. But that is not what happened. Trust me, I am still trying to understand how a full-strength Bucks team loses to the Wizards but then pulls off a massive win against the Pistons without star player Giannis Antetokounmpo. In the end, it really is the Bucks playing to the level of their opposition. It’s excellent that the Bucks can win big games against the top teams, but why couldn’t they do that on Monday? Arrogance and pride are factors; maybe the ESPN news about Giannis dropping hours before the Pistons game lit a fire in them. Who knows, but we will get a better understanding of what this team is next month.
The Sixers are an odd team because when healthy, they could be a talented group. But they are never healthy, and it feels like the team is moving on from Embiid and Paul George and ready to give Tyrese Maxey the keys. Last night, Philadelphia beat the Golden State Warriors 99-98 thanks to a last-second tip shot from rookie VJ Edgecomb, which gave the Sixers a 5-5 record in their previous ten games and put them in a play-in spot in the logjam that is the Eastern Conference. Despite that shot, Edgecombe has cooled off after a strong start to the season.
The Bucks will not have Taurean Prince (neck surgery) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (right calf strain). Kevin Porter Jr. is questionable after leaving Monday’s game with back spasms, while Gary Harris has Achilles soreness. Giannis is listed as probable due to left abductor strain management.
The Sixers played last night, which means no injury report was submitted. Yesterday, though, Paul George, Trendon Watford, and Kelly Oubre were out. Joel Embiid did play, so it’s possible Philly keeps him out to avoid wearing down his body.
Jericho Sims had a career night, scoring 15 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Sims is a different style of big man than what Milwaukee has offered. His rim running and rebounding give the Bucks an extra edge that it sometimes lacks, and with Giannis out, he could stake a claim to earning more minutes in the rotation. How he fits with Myles Turner/Bobby Portis/Kyle Kuzma will be exciting to watch.
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