NBA Picks 2/25 – Milwaukee Bucks @ Philadelphia 76ers

NBA Picks 2/25 – Milwaukee Bucks @ Philadelphia 76ers

by Thomas Quaynor for Wannamakeabet.com

The Milwaukee Bucks (36-21) visit the Philadelphia 76ers (33-23) this afternoon at Wells Fargo Center on ABC. Milwaukee is a 4.5-point favorite and the total is 233.5. Today’s game is the second of three regular season meetings, Milwaukee held off Philadelphia 118-117 in the season-opener as Damian Lillard scored 39 points in his Bucks debut. Milwaukee has won seven of the last ten matchups against Philadelphia. 

Both teams are coming off big statement wins in their first game after the All-Star break on Friday. Milwaukee went on the road and knocked off the Western Conference leading Minnesota Timberwolves 112-107 behind Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 33 points and 13 rebounds, while Philadelphia beat the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers 104-97 as Tyrese Maxey scored 15 fourth quarter points. 

GAME STORYLINES: MILWAUKEE

After winning the 2021 NBA Championship behind the heroics of superstar and Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, it seemed like a forgone conclusion that another title and/or finals appearance would soon follow. But the last two seasons have brought a second-round exit to the Boston Celtics and then a shocking 4-1 loss to the No. 8 seed Miami Heat last season.

Milwaukee has also fired two head coaches within the last calendar year despite being one of the top teams in the NBA over that span. They fired Mike Budenholzer on May 5 after the upset loss to the Miami Heat, and then fired Adrian Griffin this season after just 43 games. Griffin had guided the Bucks to a 30-13 record at the time of his firing. 

Milwaukee hired Doc Rivers as its coach on Jan. 26, and the move has become somewhat of a polarizing topic amongst the Hot Take talkers who seem to question his coaching ability.

Milwaukee has struggled under Doc Rivers going 3-7 through his first 10 games, including a stunning 113-110 road loss to a depleted Memphis Grizzlies team on Feb. 15. They did rebound with an impressive win at Minnesota on Friday night. Coaching the Bucks is also a homecoming for Doc Rivers who starred at nearby Marquette University from 1980-1983 prior to a long NBA career. 

The Bucks also made big moves on the court as well when they acquired 7-time All-NBA and 7-time All-Star Damian Lillard on Sep. 27 from the Portland Trailblazers in a deal that involved three teams. Milwaukee gave up All-NBA defender and former All-Star Jrue Holiday in the deal, along with double-digit scorer and sharpshooter Grayson Allen.

The absence of Holiday and Allen has played a huge role in the defensive struggles the Bucks have experienced this season. Those defensive woes may have been the reason why Adrian Griffin was fired despite having a very good record. 

On the court, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard continue their elite level of play. Giannis is averaging 30.8 points, 11.3 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks per contest while shooting a career-high 61.7 percent from the floor. He was named an All-Star for the 8th time this season.

Lillard is averaging 24.6 points, 6.8 assists and 1.1 steals per contest. Lillard made the most of his first All-Star game appearance for the East as he won the 3-Point Contest and then was named the All-Star Game MVP the next night.

  

GAME STORYLINES: PHILADELPHIA 

The Philadelphia 76ers entered the season with high expectations after winning 54 games last season while superstar center Joel Embiid was named the 2023 MVP. Everything was running smoothly through the first 42 games this season as the 76ers were sitting at 29-13 and Embiid was putting together another MVP season.

Embiid was averaging career-highs of 35.3 points and 5.7 assists, along with 11.3 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.3 steals per contest. He scored 70 points and pulled down 18 rebounds in a 133-123 win over visiting San Antonio on Jan. 22. 

Unfortunately, the 76ers season took a turn for the worse after Embiid’s 70-point outburst as knee soreness forced him to miss 2 of the next 3 games, that was followed up by an injury to his meniscus in his left knee suffered on Jan. 30 at Golden State. The injury will keep Embiid out for at least the next 6 weeks, he may not be able to return until the playoffs.

Philadelphia really struggled when Embiid first went down losing 8 of their first 9 games and dropping six straight games at home. They’ve somewhat righted the ship by winning 3 of their last 5 contests, including two wins against the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are second in the Eastern Conference.  

With Embiid out for the foreseeable future, Philadelphia will need All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey to carry a bigger load. The 23-year-old Maxey has elevated his game to a superstar-like level in year four, he’s averaging 25.8 points, 6.4 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals per contest, all are career highs.

He’s also had his career-high scoring game this year when he finished with 51 points in a win at Utah on Feb. 1. Maxey is averaging 26.7 points and shooting 40.6 percent from long distance in the month of February. He had 31 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals in the first game against Milwaukee. 

Philadelphia added three key players this month in Indiana sharpshooter Buddy Hield, Milwaukee point guard Cameron Payne and veteran point guard/ Philadelphia native Kyle Lowry. Hield and Payne were added at the trade deadline on Feb. 8, and Lowry was added a few days later as a free agent.

The 31-year-old Hield averaged just 12 ppg with Indiana as a part-time starter this season, but has been a career 16 ppg scorer and a 40.1 percent three-point shooter in his 8 NBA seasons. Hield has been excellent with the 76ers, averaging 19.3 points, 6.2 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.3 steals while shooting 49.4 percent from the floor and 45.5 percent from beyond the arc through 6 games. Payne has raised his scoring average from 6.2 with Milwaukee to 11.0 in six games with Philadelphia. 

Kyle Lowry returns to his hometown team after starring at Cardinal Dougherty High School and then Villanova for two seasons (2004-2006) before entering the NBA. He received a standing ovation from the home crowd when he made his 76ers debut on Feb. 22 against New York, he finished with 11 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds in 25 minutes.

THE PICK

I think the momentum of Milwaukee’s win at Minnesota will carry over into today’s game, Lay the Points and take Milwaukee!