CAMDEN, N.J. — When the schedule was released and it was revealed the Philadelphia 76ers would travel to the Fiserv Forum to take on the Milwaukee Bucks, one assumed it would be a tough matchup. The Bucks have consistently been a top team during the previous six seasons.
The Bucks then pulled off a blockbuster deal by bringing in superstar Damian Lillard to team him with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. Those three stars are complemented by a proven supporting cast that has title experience.
As the Sixers begin a new era under coach Nick Nurse, there are a few keys he has in mind for this matchup.
“It makes it very difficult,” Nurse said of Milwaukee’s stars. “I think it always starts with that transition part with Giannis. If he’s gonna put his head down in transition and lay it in or dunk it on you or get to the free-throw line you’re gonna be in for a long night.”
Antetokounmpo is one of the best finishers in transition in the NBA. Therefore, the Sixers are gong to have to make a constant effort to get back on defense and force Milwaukee to play in the half-court.
Even if they do that, the Bucks can counter with Lillard launching 3s from near the half-court line: He has limitless range.
“Lillard gives them, obviously, a guy that stretches the floor immensely,” Nurse continued. “Almost nobody does it better than him with the amount of space you gotta cover guarding him. I think it’s gonna give some two-man complications to the defensive schemes as well because he is little and fast and has a great start-stop and they got a couple guys — Giannis especially— involved in that two-man game. It sometimes makes it harder to switch those things.”
As always, Nurse will have backup plans to the backup plans when it comes to his schemes. He has shown he isn’t afraid to try unorthodox schemes to help his team get back into games.
“You don’t wanna get off some of those size matchups in either direction,” Nurse finished. “We’ll prepare and do all the things. We always have an A, B, C to start with, but see where Plan A goes and be ready for a couple adjustments if those things aren’t working out right. Sometimes before you get to B, you switch matchups. There’s a lot of things that go into it, and I think we’re just trying to get there and get prepared for all of that.”
The Sixers and the Bucks will tip off at 7:30 p.m. EDT from Milwaukee.
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