Game Thread: 76ers/Bucks

Philly/Milwaukee in 1982. (via SI vault)

76ers (14-20, 6-12 road) @ Bucks (17-19, 10-5 home)

Gametime: 7:00 p.m. central time (FS Wisconsin)

Injuries:

76ers: Elton Brand (shoulder) and Jason Smith (knee) are out.

Bucks: Andrew Bogut (back spasms) and Malik Allen (ribs/back) are day-to-day.

08/09 Series:

Dec. 17: @Sixers 93 Bucks 88

08/09 Advanced Stats:

76ers Offense: 25th (103.2 points/100 possessions) Defense:  11th (105.2) Pace:  16th (91.5)

Bucks Offense: 22nd (104.4 points/100 possessions) Defense: 6th (103.7)  Pace:   13th (91.9)

Three points:

• Philling the paint. The Sixers are the worst three-point shooting team in basketball, making just 29.4 % from outside. At least they have the good sense not to try what isn't working; Philly attempts threes on 15 % of its shots, also the lowest percentage in the NBA. However, Philadelphia scores 37.8 points per game on inside shots, the second highest average in the NBA.
• Sunnier in Milwaukee? Let's be honest, neither team really won the last time these sides met in Philly. While the Sixers were credited for a victory, they lost Elton Brand, who went down in a heap and out of the game, suffering a shoulder injury from which he hasn't returned. Meanwhile, the Bucks were in the middle of a great week and a half of undefeated basketball, save for a fourth quarter flop against a Philly team missing the aforementioned Brand. As such, Milwaukee faces a fellow playoff hopeful missing an important big man for the second straight game. And it's good timing, with Bogut still ailing. Let's hope they can take advantage again, like they did against the Jermaine O'Neal-less Raptors.
• Marreese's pieces. The Sixers snapped an unsightly slide -- six losses in seven games -- with a 104-96 home win against the Rockets last night. Andre Iguodala gets headlines (or at least subheads) with 28/3/3 and four steals, and Marreese Speights (15 pts 8 rebs, 4 blks in 23 mins) showed again why he is one of Philly's few pleasant surprise. More evidence: The 16th overall draft pick and 21 year-old out of the University of Florida easily leads all rookies in PER.

Coverage:

Bucks.com / Sixers 4 Guidos / Liberty Ballers