76ers vs Bucks Picks, Prediction Today | Thursday, March 14

Here's everything you need to know about 76ers vs. Bucks on Thursday, Mar. 14 — our expert prediction and betting picks for today's game.

The Philadelphia 76ers will head on the road to take on the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night, with tipoff set for 8 p.m. ET on NBA League Pass. The latest 76ers vs Bucks odds have Milwaukee as an 8.5-point favorite (-8.5), with the total set at over/under 222 at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Let's get to our 76ers vs. Bucks prediction and 76ers vs. Bucks pick.

Pick: Under 223 OR Bucks -8

The Philadelphia 76ers have now fallen to 10-21 this season without Joel Embiid. It has been tough sledding for a team that was near the top of the Eastern Conference and now finds itself in the play-in tournament picture.

They will also be without De'Anthony Melton and Robert Covington, two solid role players who provide strong defense and spacing. This is the third and final game of the 76ers' road trip before they come home to take on the lowly Charlotte Hornets. I imagine this could be a letdown spot for a team already on a downswing, and I will continue to fade the 76ers.

The one boost they have in this game is the coaching advantage with Nick Nurse, who has taken on Doc Rivers in many matchups and generally had the upper hand.

The Bucks are perhaps the hardest team in the NBA for handicappers to figure out. They are racking up wins despite the team not looking cohesive in its play style.

Milwaukee fired its head coach with one of the best records in the league, then went 3-8 in its next 11 before the All-Star break. Coming out of the break, the Bucks won six straight and had the league's No. 1 defense. Now they have lost three of their last four, allowing 120-plus points in each contest with the defense looking abysmal. If that was confusing to follow, imagine trying to follow this all season long.

Despite the roller coaster season, this is a spot to back the Bucks. They have a large talent advantage, are playing at home and have a huge rebounding edge with Embiid sidelined. This is also a slight revenge spot for Rivers against his former team.

The total for this game opened at 223.5 and there is still a 223 available at BetMGM. I would still be willing to play anything Under 222.5, since there are market signals this will go even lower.

You also have to tack on the recent league-wide trend of Unders and the fact that Milwaukee likes to get the free-throw line, with the Under trend related to league free-throw totals dropping.

For the spread, I expect this to hang in the balance until Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo are confirmed as active, and then pull out to -9 or -9.5. Despite the 76ers' history of playing the Bucks well, the injuries and schedule spot were not a huge cause for pause. If you want to combine these takes into one bet, look for 76ers Team Total Under, but that line is not posted as of the time of writing.

Pick: Under 223 OR Bucks -8

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