By Josh Liddick, Sports Talk Philly editor 
The Sixers (21-20) are coming off of two games in which they were victorious in the final matchup of the season. The Sixers took down the Raptors at home last Monday, and then traveled to Boston to beat the Celtics on Thursday night.
On Saturday, the Sixers get their first chance to take down a team that is very similar in the way that they were built in the Milwaukee Bucks (23-21).
Last season, the showdown between the two teams was on complete display in the nail-biters they had together. The Sixers and Bucks split the season series two games apiece in 2016-17, with the Sixers winning the first two matchups, and the Bucks winning the final two matchups.
Those two wins the Sixers got were in back-to-back weeks in January kind of like what we have going on here. The second game of this season's series between the two will be played January 29 in Milwaukee.
But for this game, the Bucks haven't had the kind of season people had expected them to. Sitting at 23-21, they are doing a good enough job to stay in the thick of the playoff hunt in the Eastern Conference, but not enough to blow anyone away with their play.
The Bucks will be missing quite a chunk of their lineup on Saturday night when they head to the Wells Fargo Center, as tw0-time All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo and reigning Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon are out with injuries.
This means that the battle between newly named NBA All-Stars Giannis and Joel Embiid will be put on hold for at least another week.
Still, all things considered, this still looks to be a good matchup with the makes for a tightly contested game on Saturday night.
Injuries still haunt Sixers on Saturday
Say what you want about the Bucks team and the injuries they are saddled with, the Sixers are also banged up. The names that will miss the contest aren't as big as Milwaukee's but their roles will be missed sorely, and the Sixers' depth will be lowered dramatically.
The most notable new injury for the Sixers was revealed post-practice on Saturday, as guard Jerryd Bayless will miss the game due to a sore left wrist, an injury that kept him out for nearly the entirety of the 2016-17 season.
Bayless (wrist) is out tonight. pic.twitter.com/d5Kx2WI0f9
— Jessica Camerato (@JCameratoNBCS) January 20, 2018
Along with Bayless, JJ Redick continues to miss time due to the leg injury he suffered against the Raptors last Monday. He won't see the court for at least two weeks before being re-evaluated.
Some thought that maybe James Young would see action for the first time since being signed as a two-way player, but no one has confirmed the availability of the 22-year-old guard.
Without Bayless, Redick, and Markelle Fultz still rehabbing his shoulder, guard depth for the Sixers remains a big issue, so you can expect to see a lot of Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot (who is starting at SG), T.J. McConnell, and the reactivated Justin Anderson battling for minutes playing guard.
Joel Embiid to continue his dominance
There were some people, including myself, that were unimpressed with the kind of dominance Joel Embiid had going at the beginning of the season. Not because the things he did were unimpressive, but it just felt different than the frenzy he put Philly in last January.
The reasoning is simple: There are just more pieces around Embiid now that put the Sixers in a better position to succeed.
And this year has been magnificent for Embiid, as he continues to play better and better, breaking league records, and setting a new standard for centers around the league to live up to.
On Thursday night vs. Boston, Embiid became just the fourth player since 1983 to have multiple games of 25 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists in his first 70 career NBA games.
Last night was Joel Embiid's 2nd career 25-15-5 game. He's the fourth player since 1983 to do that multiple times in his first 70 NBA games pic.twitter.com/xGiG4AIkgk
— Basketball Reference (@bball_ref) January 19, 2018
Truly wicked stuff coming from the Sixers superstar. Of course, this stuff isn't just behind the scenes, as Embiid's game has been noticed around the league. It's a big reason he was named an All-Star Game starter in just his second year in the league.
Embiid is also among the NBA leaders in double-doubles, leading the Sixers with 19 such games this season. He's tied for 12th in the league with Spurs' LaMarcus Aldridge.
With 12 points and 12 rebounds thus far tonight, @sixers C @JoelEmbiid has his team-leading 19th double-double.
— Sixers Stats (@SixersStats) January 19, 2018
With Embiid matching up with John Henson at center for the Bucks on Saturday night and no Giannis Antetokounmpo, you can be sure he will have a great night for the Sixers, especially his first game at home since becoming an All-Star.
Behind Enemy Lines: The Bucks fell short to Miami on Wednesday
The Milwaukee Bucks came up short on Wednesday night as they fell at home to the Miami Heat 106-101. Khris Middleton led the team with 25 points, also adding five rebounds and three assists. Giannis Antetokounmpo played 38 minutes, scoring 22 points, with 10 rebounds, six assists, two steals, and a block. His high volume of minutes most likely contributed to his knee injury that will sideline him for the next two games.
Eric Bledsoe had an awful shooting night, going 2-for-13 from the field including 0-for-6 from three. He scored 11 points and tied for a team-high four turnovers. Tony Snell led the Bucks' bench with 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting but had a team-worst +/- 0f minus-10.
The Bucks have lost four of their last six games, and with their injuries plaguing the team, wins may be harder to come by.
| Matchup Preview | January 20, 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Milwaukee Bucks (23-21) |
Philadelphia 76ers (21-20) |
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Broadcast Information
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
When: 7:30 p.m. ET
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Listen: 97.5 The Fanatic
