The Philadelphia 76ers might have secured a playoff spot in the quickly-approaching playoffs, but the Eastern Conference championship hopefuls will be looking to pick up a feel-good win against the conference-leading Milwaukee Bucks when they host their longtime rivals at the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night. Now, with the Sixers looking to break out of a mini-slump and the Bucks looking to keep momentum prior to the postseason, let’s find out which team is offering the best betting value in this intriguing pairing.
Bucks vs 76ers NBA Betting Lines & Game Analysis
Back at it tonight!
📺: @NBCSPhilly / @NBAonTNT 🖥️: https://t.co/oYqebyrwoK 📻: @975TheFanatic 🌍: https://t.co/XvDA9SGLJ1 🌃: @Colonial_Marble pic.twitter.com/aLTOwwiXCt — * – Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) April 4, 2019
- When: Thursday, April 4, 2019 at 8:00 PM ET
- Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
- TV: TNT, NSPA
- Live Stream: NBA League Pass
- Opening NBA Odds: Milwaukee -2.5 (total 230.5)
Why Bet On Milwaukee?
The Bucks look like a good bet simply because they’ve been the best team in the Eastern Conference almost all season long and they simply haven’t stopped winning. Milwaukee almost assuredly wants to reach the 60-win plateau with four games remaining and they’ve won five of six including a 131-121 win over desperate Brooklyn on Monday. MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo returned from an ankle injury to score a team-high 28 points and 11 rebounds to lead the banged-up Bucks to the win.
“Character is something we talk a lot about and something we really value,” Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters after the victory. “Your character comes out when you face a little bit of adversity, which I think we did tonight. I don’t think we always had the best response to it, but ultimately, I think the character does come through and we were able to get a little bit of separation and win the game.”
Milwaukee averages a stellar 117.9 points per game to lead the NBA in scoring while also ranking an encouraging 10th in points allowed defensively (108.6 ppg).
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 117.94
- Field Goal Percentage: 47.62
- Three-Point Percentage: 35.34
- Free Throw Percentage: 77.54
- Total Rebounds: 49.64
Defense
- Total Score: 108.59
- Field Goal Percentage: 43.16
- Three-Point Percentage: 35.65
- Free Throw Percentage: 73.53
- Total Rebounds: 45.22
Why Bet On the Philadelphia?
Philadelphia looks like a good bet in this contest because they’re playing at home, highly motivated after dropping two straight and taking on a Bucks team they beat the last time they met. Philly has lost two straight and four of their last six games overall including a humbling 130-122 loss to Atlanta on Wednesday despite getting a team-high 30 points from shooting guard J.J. Redick. Philadelphia played all three games of its recently completed road trip without star center Joel Embiid was has been out resting. Philly is an uninspiring 7-9 when their all-star center sits, but he’s expected back for tonight’s contest.
“It says how much we miss Joel,” Butler said. “He’s a big part in what we do. When you’re missing a guy like that on both ends of the floor, it’s tough. I don’t think we handled it well. There’s always going to be some adversity, certainly when he’s not there, but I feel like we’ve just got to do better as a whole.”
Philadelphia owns a 2.5-game lead over both Boston and Indiana with four to play. The Sixers average a healthy 115.2 points per game to rank fourth in scoring while allowing 112.4 points per contest defensively to rank an uninspiring 18th in points allowed.
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 115.17
- Field Goal Percentage: 46.99
- Three-Point Percentage: 35.79
- Free Throw Percentage: 77.38
- Total Rebounds: 47.77
Defense
- Total Score: 112.42
- Field Goal Percentage: 45.46
- Three-Point Percentage: 34.00
- Free Throw Percentage: 76.97
- Total Rebounds: 43.55
Bucks vs 76ers NBA Betting Trends
- PHILADELPHIA is 5-5 against the spread versus MILWAUKEE over the last 3 seasons
- PHILADELPHIA is 5-5 straight up against MILWAUKEE over the last 3 seasons
- 7 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
Expert Analysis and Prediction
With Joel Embiid back on the floor for a now, semi-desperate Sixers team, combined with the fact that Milwaukee might not be going all-out to win this matchup, while sneaking in some extra rest for their starters, I’m thinking this is a great time to back Philly for the outright win. I know the Bucks are 13-5 ATS in their last 18 road games and 4-1-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall, but the Sixers are 7-1 ATS in their last eight Thursday games, 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record and 28-13 ATS in their last 41 home games vs. a team with a winning road record. I like Philly for the narrow win to cover the chalk as a slight home dog!
Pick: Philadelphia 115 Milwaukee 109
