76ers vs. Bucks Prediction and Odds for October 23: Embiid, George to Miss Season Opener

The Philadelphia 76ers will welcome the Milwaukee Bucks into the City of Brotherly Love on Wednesday as both teams make their 2024-25 NBA season debuts.

The headline for this matchup is that both Joel Embiid and newcomer Paul George are going to miss the matchup with injuries, leaving Tyrese Maxey to star as the focal point of Philly’s offense. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard will suit up, while Khris Middleton is out with an ankle injury for Milwaukee.

The Sixers (+500) and Bucks (+750) are positioned third and fourth in odds to win the Eastern Conference per the odds at BetMGM. While this is just the first of 82 regular-season games, it could play a role in settling a tiebreaker later in the season.

Here, we will analyze and share our favorite betting picks for the 76ers vs. Bucks season-opening showdown.

76ers vs. Bucks Betting Odds for Wednesday, October 23

The 76ers posted the third-best record against the spread last year at 51-38 (57.3 percent). That included being 25-20 (55.6 percent) at home and 17-17 (50 percent) as an underdog.

Meanwhile, the Bucks were a poor 38-49-1 (43.7 percent) ATS overall, 17-26 (39.5 percent) ATS on the road, and 29-38-1 (43.3 percent) ATS as the favorite.

Odds from BetMGM Sportsbook. Use our promo code WSNSPORTS and place your bets at BetMGM to claim up to $1,500 in Bonus Bets*.

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76ers vs. Bucks Prediction

Philadelphia 76ers Preview

The 76ers have a strong roster composition. An NBA MVP level player (Embiid), a scoring guard with gravity beyond the three-point line (Maxey), and a two-way wing who can play with or without the ball (George) who are surrounded by savvy veterans who know their role, and a promising rookie (Jared McCain). 

The absences of Embiid and George are large ones both literally and metaphorically. The Sixers were just 16-27 in games without their star center last year, though they’ve likely been planning for this scenario knowing he was recovering from an injury.

Embiid’s inconsistent health had a severe impact on the team’s metrics last year. At their best, they played with pace, made three-point shots, and played hellacious defense. But at their worst, they were one-dimensional on offense and a total mess on defense without their usual rim protection.

One of Philly’s biggest strengths is its rotation of versatile wings, which includes Caleb Martin, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Guerschon Yabusele. They also have shooting and playmaking with Kyle Lowry, Eric Hordon, and Reggie Jackson all coming off the bench.

This team is going to struggle to defend the rim and to find secondary playmaking without George and Embiid. That said, Nick Nurse is one of the smartest coaches in the league and will likely utilize the speed of Maxey to anchor their offense.

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Milwaukee Bucks Preview

Giannis and Lillard spent the early part of last season mastering their pick-and-roll partnership. They never quite took the league by storm, but they showed consistent improvement as the year progressed and will benefit from a long offseason of training together.

A burning question for this team is if Doc Rivers is the right man for the job. The 2008 champion was appointed in the middle of last season to guide the Bucks to the NBA Finals, only for them to lose in the first round and go 20-23 across the regular and postseason.

Milwaukee’s defense improved under Rivers, though it’s getting tough for them to rely on an old Brook Lopez to be the league’s best interior deterrent and shot-blocker night in and night out. They also don’t have much size or defensive versatility on their bench with Taurean Prince and Pat Connaughton in line to receive most of the reserve wing minutes.

The Bucks are going to need to make their threes to win games. They ranked tenth a year ago at 37.1 percent, though Damian Lillard shot a poor (by his standards) 35.4 percent.

The defense also needs to be significantly better. They were 17th in post-All-Star break defensive rating and did not sign defensive stoppers in the offseason. 

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76ers vs. Bucks Betting Pick

• 76ers vs. Bucks pick: Bucks -3.5 (-110) at BetMGM

The 76ers have a better roster on paper at full strength, but the losses of Embiid—and George, to a lesser extent—will be noticeable.

The Bucks were one of the worst teams against the spread last year, but in a strange way, should come into the year slightly underrated as a result.

We like the Bucks to start their new title charge with a bang and a win on the road despite believing that the 76ers have a more realistic championship ceiling, so long as they get to the postseason healthy (which is far from a guarantee).

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How to Watch 76ers vs. Bucks on 10/23/24

• When: Wednesday, Oct. 23 at 7:30 p.m. ET

• Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA

• TV: ESPN

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