NBA Odds: Bucks (even)
The Philadelphia 76ers will travel to the BMO Harris Bradley Center to take on the Milwaukee Bucks. Action begins at 8:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Feb. 25 and can be seen on CSN-PHI and FSN-WI.
The Bucks are expecting a better outcome after their 87-71 loss to the Bulls on Monday. Despite the loss, Ersan Ilyasova earned his first double-double this season with 15 points and 11 rebounds. The 76ers, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after the 119-108 loss against the Heat on Monday. Nerlens Noel had a good game for Philadelphia, registering 18 points, seven rebounds, and four blocks.
Noel has upped his play over the last five games for the 76ers, averaging 12.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.0 steals, and 3.6 blocks.
The Bucks defense could make it difficult on Philadelphia’s shooters. They rank fifth in the NBA in forcing misses (opponents’ effective field goal percentage of 47.9%), while the Philadelphia offense is 29th with a mark of 46.0%. Furthermore, the 30th-ranked offense of the 76ers (offensive efficiency of 91.8) will face a tough test against the third-ranked defense of the Bucks (defensive efficiency of 99.4).
The Bucks have emerged victorious in both games against the 76ers this year, including a decisive 97-77 victory in their last matchup. In the victory, Khris Middleton led all scorers with 18 points.
The odds for Milwaukee and Philadelphia are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available. The Bucks have gone 31-25 Straight Up (SU) and 34-22 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a solid 7-3 SU record over their last 10 games, but have not faired as well ATS (3-7). Opposing teams know they’re in for a battle when they play Milwaukee’s stingy defense. The Bucks are one of the top teams when it comes to defense, allowing just 96.7 points per game. Milwaukee’s defense can be considered one of the best in the league. The Bucks allow a .431 opponent field-goal percentage, one of the lowest shooting rates in the league. Milwaukee’s defenders rank third in the NBA in steals with 9.5 per game. Milwaukee is one of the league’s top scoring teams off turnovers with an average of 18.9 points per game.
Over on the other bench, the 76ers have 12-44 SU and 28-26-2 ATS records. Philadelphia has a poor SU record over the last 10 games (3-7), but have a 7-2-1 record ATS. The 76ers are a terror in the passing lanes, averaging an NBA-best 9.8 steals per game. One advantage for the 76ers could be Milwaukee’s high fouls per game average of 22.3.
The Bucks’ win over Philadelphia in their last game bumped their SU record to 7-3 over the 76ers in the last 10 meetings. Furthermore, the Bucks hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4. Milwaukee and Philadelphia both held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers twice over the last 10 games.
Predictions: SU Winner – MIL, ATS Winner – MIL
Notes
While Philadelphia puts up an average of just 90.4 points per game (ranked 30th), Milwaukee ranks second in points allowed, giving up 96.7 points per game.
While Philadelphia puts up an average of just 86.5 points per game on the road (ranked 30th), Milwaukee ranks third in points allowed at home, giving up 95.2 points per game.
Philadelphia has an 11-15 record when allowing fewer than 100 points. Milwaukee has a 16-15 record when it scores fewer than 100 points.
At 1-29, the Philadelphia 76ers have an underachieving record when their opponents score 100 points or more. The Milwaukee Bucks are 15-10 when they hit the century mark.
The Bucks have a defensive rating of 99.4 (ranked third), while the 76ers have an offensive rating of 91.8 (ranked 30th).
Milwaukee is among the top-ranked teams based on its average field goal percentage of 46.2% (ranked sixth). Philadelphia has not won a game this season when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage (0-24).
On average, Milwaukee attempts 18.8 three pointers and Philadelphia attempts 24.4 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Bucks have a winning 4-1 record while the 76ers have an abysmal 1-26 record.
The Bucks have an assist to turnover ratio of 1.49 this season (ranked 22nd), while the 76ers rank last in the league with an A/TO of 1.15.
The Milwaukee Bucks are one of the worst rebounding teams in the league with just 41.3 per game. The Philadelphia 76ers average 42.1 rebounds (ranked 22nd).
Milwaukee is ranked 25th in defensive rebounds, while Philadelphia ranks 10th in offensive rebounds.
On average, the 76ers force a turnover rate of 16.5%, ranked second in the NBA. When the Bucks turn over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a solid 17-10 record.
