Milwaukee Bucks at 76ers preview, betting, where to watch 10/20

The Milwaukee Bucks begin their 2022-23 NBA season with a road game in Philadelphia to play Joel Embiid and the 76ers. The 76ers lost to the Celtics on Tuesday in the NBA opener. That game took place in Boston so for the 76ers coming home, they will likely be hungry to get the taste of their first loss out of their mouths in front of their home fans.

The 76ers have a new look this season, this will be their first full season with James Harden instead of Ben Simmons, the Sixers also added former Buck PJ Tucker and traded for De’Anthony Melton and signed Montrezl Harrell. That said, Doc Rivers only played six total players for more than 20 minutes, the 76ers box score looks like a playoff game, certainly conceivable that the 76ers ran out of gas trying to keep up with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Enter the Milwaukee Bucks, who are looking to ensure Philadelphia starts the season 0-2. The Milwaukee Bucks will no doubt lead with Giannis Antetokounmpo, but who else should the Bucks rely on to force the issue offensively? If Tyrese Maxey is guarding Jrue Holiday that means that James Harden will likely start out guarding Grayson Allen, running pick and roll with Grayson Allen and Giannis Antetokounmpo may be an option to take advantage of Harden’s shortcomings on the defensive side of the ball. Grayson Allen is near the top third of the league as a pick and roll ball handler. No surprise at all to know that Giannis Antetokounmpo is in the top 15 percent in the NBA as the pick and roll roll man.

There are also two milestones I will be watching to see if Giannis can surpass, he trails Kareem Abdul-Jabbar by 15 made field goals for the most in Milwaukee Bucks history and trails Sidney Moncrief by just eight made free throws for the most in Bucks history. The former will require a huge game from Giannis, but the latter is a near certainty to be surpassed Thursday night.

Defensively I will be watching to see how the Milwaukee Bucks match up with Joel Embiid. In the past they’ve used several different defenders on him, usually starting with Brook Lopez. This year the Bucks have a bunch of options to give Embiid different looks defensively, Coach Budenholzer could start with Brook Lopez, then use Bobby Portis, or Giannis Antetokounmpo or Serge Ibaka. I believe that Joel Embiid is a big reason the Milwaukee Bucks opted to bring back Ibaka, potentially saving some wear and tear against the other three players named.

Milwaukee Bucks vs Philadelphia 76ers: Betting odds, spread, over/under

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Philadelphia 76ers are favored by four points in their home building. The money lines are set at +146 for the Bucks and -174 for the 76ers. The over under is set at 225. Surprisingly, this game has a higher over/under set for it than a matchup of both of the Los Angeles teams, albeit by just one point.

Milwaukee Bucks Injury Report

Obviously the Bucks will not have newly acquired Joe Ingles available, he is out likely until January at the earliest.

We also already know the Milwaukee Bucks will be without Khris Middleton and Pat Connaughton, we’ll see what types of lineups Budenholzer uses in their absence. According to Ben Steele of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wesley Matthews will be good to go for this game, he was the only other player questionable.

Predictions for Milwaukee Bucks vs Philadelphia 76ers

The Milwaukee Bucks are opening their season tonight and the 76ers are coming off a loss. However, looking at these two teams and even in the absence of the players mentioned above, plus the way Doc Rivers used his bench players in their season opener, I feel the Bucks are the deeper team.

That said if Giannis Antetokounmpo has the opportunity to remain fresh in this game, especially late in the game, he will be a massive problem for Philadelphia. Joel Embiid, James Harden and company present their own problems for the Bucks but the Bucks have been a strong paint defending team and have their anchor back in Brook Lopez.

This will likely be a close game throughout but I think ultimately the Bucks depth shows and the 76ers run out of gas and the Bucks pull away late.

Bucks: 115 – 76ers: 110

How to watch:

The Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers are on TNT Thursday night for the Bucks season opener and the 76ers home opener. The game starts at 6:30 central time, 7:30 eastern. The game will not be on Bally Sports Wisconsin.

Follow Behind the Buck Pass on Twitter for live tweets during the game and stay tuned for takeaways tomorrow.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.