The Philadelphia 76ers have been terrific at home as they own the NBA’s best home record at 26-2. It has been their play away from the Wells Fargo Center that has been a big cause for concern with this team. They are just 9-19 on the road and their challenge on Saturday to pick up a road win is a doozy.
It comes in the form of the Milwaukee Bucks who own the NBA’s best overall record at 43-8. They are the only team in the league who have not lost 10 games yet on the season. Philadelphia will have to dig deep, like they did in Thursday’s rallying win against the Brooklyn Nets, and rise to the challenge.
With that said, it’s time for the guide in this one:
How to watch Sixers vs. Bucks
- Date: Saturday, February 22
- Time: 8:30 p.m. EST
- Location: Fiserv Forum Milwaukee, WI
- TV: ABC
Injury Report
- Sixers: PROBABLE: Ben Simmons (lower back tightness)
- Bucks: OUT: Kyle Korver (back soreness)
Storylines
Sixers preparing for Bucks
Both Philadelphia and Milwaukee are in the running to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals in June. In fact, most believe that they are the two top contenders in the East. With the Sixers led by Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, and Tobias Harris, they will represent a big challenge to Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and the Bucks. Saturday represents a test for this team.
“Every game is going to be a test for us,” said Tobias Harris. “Every game is preparation for us to get ready for the playoffs. From here on out, we look at every opportunity to better ourselves and what better way than playing the top team in the East at their place? We’ve had very good battles with them in the two games we’ve played, but we have to want more for ourselves and each other. We’ll be ready for that.”
Brown believes Horford can help
The Sixers made the move of bringing Al Horford off the bench now for two games now and he was solid in the first game, but he was a mess in the second game. He was a minus-26 in only 18 minutes of action and the Sixers were a plus-34 when he was off the floor. It was a tough game for a guy who is a 5-time All-Star in his career. However, coach Brett Brown believes Horford will figure out his role.
“We have seen the history of Al Horford and all of us would be very naïve to think that some of his signing wasn’t driven to where we think we want to be in April, May, and we hope June,” Brown explained. “Just progress out like look ahead to see the matchups. It’s game whatever it is with 26 games left. I think the communication and how I speak to Al is for me is driven, with those sort of core tenants in mind that I try to stick to.”
Prediction
The Sixers can win this game, but will they? Probably not. The Sixers have a ton of talent, but they just struggle on the road and there is not much of an explanation for it. The Bucks are a machine at the moment and Antetokounmpo represents a matchup problem for the Sixers. This will be a test to see how they fare against the best team in the league. However, the Bucks will probably pull this one out.
Pick: Bucks by double-digits
Sixers vs. Bucks season series
Game 1 December 25: 121-109 Sixers
Game 2 February 6: 112-101 Bucks
Game 3 February 22:
Game 4 April 7:
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