Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly editor 
The Philadelphia 76ers (23-39) look to rebound from an embarrassing home loss to Detroit on Saturday when they host the Milwaukee Bucks (28-33) tonight at the Wells Fargo Center. The Sixers come into tonight's game losers of five of their last seven while the Bucks have tallied two straight wins against formidable teams, the Raptors and Clippers.
Philadelphia has been plagued by injury and then some. Not only are they without Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, but Gerald Henderson is nursing a sore hip and Jahlil Okafor missed Saturday's game with knee issues. Okafor is listed as doubtful, so if Jahlil cannot start, expect Richaun Holmes, Justin Harper and a newcomer the Sixers signed on Monday to split time at the five spot. Because of injury, the Sixers dressed only nine players on Saturday.
Ready or Not, it's Richaun's time:
Throughout the whole trade deadline process, from the rumors to the actual deals, the Sixers big men were at the center of discussion for Bryan Colangelo and company. The team dealt Nerlens Noel, but Joel Embiid has been ruled out for the year and Jahlil Okafor is still dealing with knee soreness from a meniscus injury he suffered last season. From too many bigs to not enough, it's go time for second-year center Richaun Holmes, who has been somewhat overlooked in all of this. Holmes brings constant energy on both sides of the ball and has a similar rim protection element to his game that Noel has. Since the departure of Nerlens and the continued absence of Embiid, Holmes has seen an increased role, averaging 12 points, five rebounds and two blocks per game since the trade deadline. If Okafor continues to be sidelined with his knee, Holmes can provide a defensive upgrade and the pick-and-roll offensive option that worked well with Nerlens in the lineup. Moving forward, Holmes could very well end up as Joel Embiid's primary back-up if the Sixers find a suitor for Okafor leading up to draft night.
The Greek Freak:
Despite his consistentsy on the floor, Giannis Antetokoumpo is still looked at as one of the more underrated players in the league, probably because he plays for Milwaukee. He's been the center point of the Bucks' offense this season, especially after Jabari Parker's ACL injury, and January was one of his best this season. In 12 games, Giannis averaged 23.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists while shooting 53.4 percent from the floor. His strong play has rolled over into February, averaging 20 points on 59 percent shooting in three games, to go along with eight rebounds and 5.3 assists. He's coming off of a 21-point, 10-rebound effort in 35 minutes against the Raptors. In two games against the Sixers this season, Antetokoumpo is averaging 20 points, nine rebounds and 3.5 assists.
Sixers Add Depth:
Although Richaun Holmes will get the majority of the minutes at center if Jahlil Okafor remains out, the Sixers are making sure they have enough back-up in case someone else goes down. They added forward Justin Harper on a 10-day contract last week and on Monday, they inked Delaware big man Shawn Long to a 10-day deal. Long, 24, has been solid all year for the Sevens and has been one of the most productive players this season in the D-League overall. In 39 games, he's averaging 20.2 points and 11.1 rebounds while shooting 53.5 percent from the floor.
Previous Game Rewind:
Sixers: Philadelphia gave up a season-high 136 points in a 20-point loss at home to Detroit on Saturday evening. The team dressed only nine players thanks to injury and were on the back end of a back-to-back after beating the Knicks on Friday. The loss to Detroit was the Sixers' fourth in the last five games and they struggled on all ends of the floor in what was an "embarrassing" loss according to Nik Stauskas, who finished with a career-high 24 points. Dario Saric put together another solid effort in the loss, scoring 19 points to go along with eight assists and six rebounds.
Bucks: Milwaukee is coming off of a 101-94 win over Toronto, their second straight win. Khris Middleton scored a season-high 24 points as the Bucks bounced back from a 12-point first quarter to score 41 in the second en route to beating the Atlantic Division leading Raptors. Giannis Antetokoumpo finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds while former Sixer Spencer Hawes contributed 16 points and eight boards in 17 minutes off the bench.
| Matchup Preview | March 6, 2017 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Milwakee Bucks (28-33, 11-17 Away) |
Philadelphia 76ers (23-39, 15-18 Home) |
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Game Information:
Tip-off: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
TV: CSN
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
