Two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference will go head-to-head when the Philadelphia 76ers host the Milwaukee Bucks on Christmas Day in a potential conference finals preview. The Sixers enter the matchup with an all-time Christmas Day record of 17-14, while the Bucks are 3-2. Both teams also played on Christmas last season, as the Sixers lost 121-114 to the Celtics in Boston, while the Bucks bested the Knicks in New York 109-95. The victory against the Knicks was Milwaukee's first Christmas Day game since 1977.
After failing in the conference finals last year, the Bucks have been on a mission to start the season and they sit at the top of the East as a result, thanks largely to the play of reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Greek Freak has improved upon his stellar play from last season, and is averaging 31 points, 12.9 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.2 blocks per game for Milwaukee. He appears poised to raise a second straight Maurice Podoloff trophy at the end of the season. It's worth noting that Antetokounmpo posted a career-high 52 points against Philadelphia last March.
The Sixers, meanwhile, have also been solid to start the season, albeit a bit more inconsistent than Milwaukee. While the Bucks have a hold on the conference's top spot, the Sixers have been embroiled in a battle for prime positioning below Milwaukee along with other teams in the East playoff picture like the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, and Indiana Pacers. All-Star center Joel Embiid leads the Sixers with averages of 23.1 points and 12.8 rebounds per game, while Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons have also made major contributions to the Sixers' early season success.
The Christmas Day matchup between the Sixers and Bucks is the first of three on the season, as the two teams will also meet twice in Milwaukee in February. With that said, here's everything you need to know about the game.
How to Watch
- Date: Wednesday, Dec. 25 | 2:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Wells Fargo Center -- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- TV: ABC | Stream: WatchESPN
- Odds: MIL -145 | | PHI +125 | O/U: 220
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Storylines
Bucks: Milwaukee enters Christmas Day owning the NBA's top record at 27-4. They have been dominant on both sides of the ball. Antetokounmpo has stepped his game up from his MVP campaign last year, which is pretty impressive considering how great he was last season. His increased willingness to shoot 3s -- and his ability to knock them down more consistently -- has helped him expand his game and made him virtually unguardable. Though many thought that the Bucks would feel Malcolm Brogdon's absence after he signed with the Indiana Pacers over the offseason, that hasn't been the case. Instead, Milwaukee's offseason addition of Wesley Matthews has stepped up and filled the void. Through the first third of the season, the Bucks appear to have all the makings of a bona fide title contender.
76ers: Philly has been solid to start the season, and has shown flashes of dominant defense. Yet some major questions still loom around the team and how all its pieces fit together. General manager Elton Brand spent big over the offseason by inking Tobias Harris, Al Horford and Ben Simmons all to big-money deals, and as a result expectations are as high in Philadelphia as they have been in a long time. Considering how the roster and rotation are quite different than it was last season, the fact that the Sixers enter Christmas Day with a record of 22-10 is pretty impressive. Plus, one would think that they will continue to improve as the familiarity among teammates grows as the season wears on.
Game prediction, pick
The Sixers have been dominant at home this season (15-2), but the Bucks have been dominant everywhere (15-2 at home, 12-2 away). Milwaukee will test Philadelphia's ability to limit perimeter production, which will be a bit tougher for the Sixers since rookie Matisse Thybulle, who has been a dynamo on defense for them, is out indefinitely with a right knee sprain. It's only December, so this game won't necessarily reflect how both teams look come playoff time, but right now the Bucks are playing better basketball than anyone in the league, including the Sixers. Pick: Bucks -2.5
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Bucks vs. 76ers on NBA Christmas Day: Live stream info, watch online, TV channel, odds, start time, pick - CBS Sports
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