Fresh off their California stint of Western opponents, the Bucks have a solid 42-24 record and currently hold the 2nd position in the conference. However, they are coming off a challenging West Coast road trip, going 1-3 and concluding with a disappointing 129-94 loss to the Sacramento Kings. Despite Giannis Antetokounmpo’s performance of 30 points and 13 rebounds, the Bucks were unable to split their adventure out West. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia 76ers, positioned 7th in the Eastern Conference with a 36-29 record, faced struggles of their own in recent games. Despite a split in back-to-back matchups against the New York Knicks, the Sixers stumbled in their most recent outing at Madison Square Garden, managing a mere 79 points. Star player Joel Embiid still sidelined, had to watch a lackluster effort from key starters such as Kyle Lowry (2 points), Mo Bamba (5 points), and Tobias Harris (2 points). All three of those players played 17+ minutes.

The Bucks have beaten the 76ers both times this season, one in each building and most recently on February 25th.

Fool’s Gold

The Milwaukee Bucks are going home with an unpleasant taste in their mouth off to their grinding four-game Western Conference road trip. The Bucks will make a return to Milwaukee holding an abysmal 1-3 card as they got severely tested by the four California-based teams. Milwaukee entered the away scenes with a sizzling form — boasting an unblemished record of 6-0 since the All-Star break. The Bucks concluded the stretch this Tuesday with a demoralizing 129-94 defeat against the Sacramento Kings, which is a replication of the 125-90 huge loss they absorbed on Thursday against the Golden State Warriors. “It happens sometimes. It happens like that. That’s probably not what y’all want to hear, but it does,” point guard Dame Lillard said about their 1-3 road trip finish. “It’s a tough league, and this was a tough trip. You coming on the West Coast, Golden State played really well at home. They played an infectious style of basketball, and they got good players, great players. They see the ball go in, they were coming off a bad loss and had some days off. They had a great game. Then you go back-to-back games in L.A., and those aren’t easy games, you know? And finishing the trip with this one [in Sacramento] is not an easy one, either.”

Following the 129-94 defeat suffered at the hands of the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday, head coach Doc Rivers suggested that the Milwaukee Bucks might need to reassess their offense. Rivers cautioned against such a simplistic view, pointing out that the team’s issues ran deeper. Despite opportunities for open looks, particularly for Malik Beasley, In reality, Rivers attributed Milwaukee’s woes to poor decision-making on offense, “Malik (Beasley) had some wide-open shots, so did Pat Connaughton but that’s all fool’s gold,” Doc emphasized. “The ball didn’t move tonight. We took difficult shots. Sacramento overhelps a lot because they have to, and we didn’t take advantage of it at all. A few times we did it, we did get good shots. But I thought the way we played offensively, I thought we chased points all night. Everybody.” Rivers illustrated his point by recalling the team’s first possession of the game, where a player failed to capitalize on an opportunity to kick the ball out for an open shot. Reflecting on the team’s mindset, Doc admitted overhearing players discussing unrelated matters during the shootaround, a concerning sign for the coaching staff.

76ers

76ers center and reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid, who has been out since Jan. 30 with an injury to the lateral meniscus in his left knee, is reportedly “not anywhere close” to returning. ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne provided the report on NBA Today, “He’s not anywhere close right now to coming back, but he is able to get on the court and do some light work here. The hope that they have in Philly is that they can just stay in the mix for Joel Embiid to come back the last week or so of the season at least where he has a chance to get back some conditioning for the playoffs.” Embiid averaged 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists in 34 games before being sidelined. Entering Tuesday, the 76ers owned a 36-28 record, good enough for sixth in the Eastern Conference. A spot in the play-in tournament at worst is all but guaranteed, but Philadelphia would certainly wish to finish top six and avoid that altogether. That may be tough, as the 76ers are one of five teams from fourth to eighth who have between 35-37 wins. So there isn’t much room for error right now without

As for everyone else who is actually playing for Philly, they have… struggled seems too light of a word. The Knicks wasted no time asserting their dominance against the 76ers on Tuesday, surging to a commanding 21-point lead in the first half, leveraging the contributions of Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby. Tyrese Maxey, back from a four-game absence, made his presence felt with 17 points and four assists, while Kelly Oubre Jr. added 19 points and six rebounds. Buddy Hield provided nine points off the bench, and Paul Reed contributed 14 points and eight rebounds. However, it was a challenging night for Kyle Lowry, managing just 2 points, struggling to find his rhythm from beyond the arc and facing defensive difficulties against the Knicks’ perimeter options. Tobias Harris had opportunities to make an impact but fell short matching Lowry’s 2 points. As the Sixers await Joel Embiid’s return, they understand the importance of every player stepping up to maintain competitiveness in his absence.