NBA: Milwaukee Bucks favoured in Damian Lillard’s first game

All-Star point guard Damian Lillard will play against reigning MVP Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers in his first game with the Milwaukee Bucks. It will be the first time two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and Lillard play a game together with the Bucks. The odds for this game are not as close as you might expect for a matchup between two of the top teams in the east. The Bucks finished first in the conference last season with a 58-24 record, and the 76ers finished third with a 54-28 record. These teams could meet in the playoffs, so this game should be a little more important than a regular season game against the Charlotte Hornets.

Game details

The Milwaukee Bucks will face the Philadelphia 76ers on October 26 in Milwaukee which will be Damian Lillard’s first game with the team. The Bucks are the betting favourites on NBA betting sites. Their money lines odds to win the game are -230 on Bet99. The 76ers are +175 underdogs on the money line. This will be the first game of the season for both teams. The 76ers and Bucks played four games last season, splitting the games 2-2. Each team won one game against the other on the road and at home last season.

The spread is set at 5.5 for this game. The Bucks are -5.5 favourites while the 76ers are +5.5 dogs. These teams played against each other early in the season last year, the season opener for the Bucks and the second game for the 76ers, a 90-88 win for the Bucks. Two of their four games last season finished within six points. The 76ers won one of the other two games by eight, and the Bucks won the final game by 13. 

The last 5 #KiaMVPs have been won by players born outside the U.S.!

Who's taking it home this season?

The 2023-24 regular season tips Tuesday, October 24th on TNT pic.twitter.com/2Z3UYPBmHY

— NBA (@NBA) October 20, 2023

The Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks are currently the betting favourites to win the NBA title, but that does not mean they will be a great team early on in the season. If you exclude Lillard and the players they gave up to trade for him, this Bucks roster is a lot similar to last year’s roster. If Lillard can adjust to playing with Antetokounmpo and the Bucks early, this team should be capable of beating any team on a nightly basis. The biggest concern is how long will it take for the Bucks to get on the same page.

The 76ers should have a good shot to pull off the upset if they have all their players available for this game. The Bucks are not only trying to fit in a scoring point guard in place of a defensive guard in Jrue Holiday, they are also playing their first game with Adrian Griffin at head coach instead of former coach Mike Budenholzer. This is Griffin’s first season as a head coach in the NBA.

The Philadelphia 76ers

What the hell is going on with James Harden? That is the most important question to ask about the 76ers. According to ESPN, Harden has missed more than one practice because of a personal matter. Harden made his displeasure with the 76ers’ front office public when he called president Daryl Morrey a liar. Whether or not the 76ers and Harden will be able to move forward with their relationship and win basketball games is impossible to know. If Harden and the 76ers are committed to getting through this season together, they should be one of the top teams in the east again.

Unlike the Bucks, all of the core players on the 76ers were there last year. The 76ers should have a good shot to pull off the upset in this game if Harden is in the lineup, but they can still win the game without him. They have the reigning MVP and a potential future All-Star in guard Tyrese Maxey to go along with veterans like Tobias Harris, P.J. Tucker, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Patrick Beverly. They should have a shot in this game as long as they have the rest of their roster.