The 76ers host the Bucks at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Tuesday, January 27, at 8:00 PM ET. The 76ers enter at 24-21 as the No. 6 seed, while the Bucks are 18-26 and sitting 11th.
The 76ers are coming off a brutal 130-93 loss to the Hornets, a game that got away early and never came back.
The Bucks just dropped a 102-100 grinder to the Nuggets, and they did it while shorthanded again.
This is also a quick season-series check: the 76ers have already beaten the Bucks twice. That includes the November 20 overtime game where Tyrese Maxey erupted for a career-high 54 in a 118-114 win.
Maxey is having a monster season at 29.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 6.8 assists on 46.9% from the field and 38.9% from three. Joel Embiid has put up 25.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 25 games.
For the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo is at 28.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 5.6 assists, and Ryan Rollins has emerged with 16.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.4 assists.
Injury Report
76ers
Joel Embiid: Out (left knee injury management)
Paul George: Out (left knee injury management)
Bucks
Giannis Antetokounmpo: Out (right calf strain)
Kevin Porter Jr.: Out (right oblique muscle strain)
Taurean Prince: Out (neck surgery)
Why The 76ers Have The Advantage
Even with Embiid and George out, the 76ers still have the best offensive engine in the building. They’re scoring 116.1 points per game this season, and when Maxey turns it into a track meet, the matchup gets simple: can the Bucks keep him out of the paint and off the line without sending help every possession.
The sneaky edge is physicality. The 76ers rebound better overall at 43.8 boards per game, and they generate more defensive events too, 9.1 steals and 6.0 blocks per game. That matters against a Bucks group that’s going to be piecing together creation without Giannis and Kevin Porter Jr.
And the biggest thing is this: the Bucks are allowing 115.2 points per game. If the 76ers are getting clean looks early, Maxey can turn one good quarter into a game-state where the Bucks have to chase, and that’s where the legs start to go on a back-to-back.
Why The Bucks Have The Advantage
If you’re building the Bucks case, it starts with shot quality and spacing. They’re at 48.1% from the field and 39.2% from three on the season. Those are serious numbers, and it means they can win the math even if they’re not dominating the paint.
The other big swing is ball movement. The Bucks are at 26.2 assists per game, and when they keep the ball popping, they can stretch a defense thin enough to get corner threes and quick-hit layups even without their top names.
This is also where the 76ers’ current availability can hurt. If you’re asking a thinner rotation to cover shooters for 48 minutes, one or two missed assignments can become a 12-2 run fast. Against a team shooting nearly 40% from three, those runs are lethal.
X-Factors
Quentin Grimes is the 76ers swing piece because he’s the cleanest “do everything” guard they’ve got behind Maxey. He’s at 13.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists, and if he’s hitting enough threes to force tight closeouts, he can create the secondary advantages the offense needs when the Bucks trap or shade hard at Maxey.
VJ Edgecombe is the chaos factor. As a rookie, he’s already at 15.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.1 assists with 1.5 steals, and the athletic pressure he brings is exactly how you punish a team that’s trying to survive without its primary downhill threat. If he turns live-ball turnovers into transition points, the 76ers can score without grinding.
Andre Drummond matters because this is where the 76ers can manufacture “easy” offense, extra possessions and rim pressure without needing set-play perfection. He’s averaging 7.0 points and 8.9 rebounds in 20.0 minutes, and if he controls the glass, it shortens the game for the 76ers in the best way.
For the Bucks, AJ Green is the kind of shooter who can flip the scoreboard in five minutes. He’s at 10.5 points while drilling 43.7% from three, and the 76ers cannot afford those “one step late” closeouts that turn into three straight daggers.
Kyle Kuzma is another lever, mostly because his shot diet changes depending on who else is available. He’s at 12.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists, and if he’s decisive, catch-and-go, quick pull-ups, straight-line drives, he can give the Bucks enough secondary scoring to survive the non-Rollins minutes.
And Bobby Portis is the stabilizer. He’s giving them 13.1 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 46.5% from three, which is outrageous for a big. If he drags rim protection away from the paint and forces the 76ers to guard him honestly, it opens lanes for everyone else.
Prediction
With Giannis, Embiid, and George all out, this turns into a test of structure versus shot-making. I lean 76ers because Maxey is the one player in this game who can consistently bend a defense by himself, and the 76ers’ rebounding edge gives them a cleaner path to survive cold stretches. The Bucks’ shooting is real, but I trust the home team to generate more free points off pressure and extra possessions.
Prediction: 76ers 116, Bucks 111
