Bucks at 76ers
THE STORY: Between the Phillies' playoff flame-out, the Eagles' underwhelming campaign and the Flyers' recent spate of injuries, Philadelphia sports fans haven't had much to cheer about in recent memory. The 76ers are doing their part to remedy that as the carry one of the top records in the NBA into Monday's game against the visiting Milwaukee Bucks. The Sixers are a perfect 5-0 at home so far this season, riding the league's best defense to long-awaited respectability and a cushy seat atop the Atlantic Division standings. Oddsmakers are having a difficult time gauging whether the Sixers are a flash in the pan or the real deal, as evidenced by the team's 9-2-1 record against the spread. They'll face a Bucks team that is struggling to do anything of note away from Milwaukee. The club has dropped seven straight road games to start the season, a streak extended with a 102-76 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.
TV: 2 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Wisconsin, Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia
ABOUT THE BUCKS (4-7): Home wins over San Antonio and Detroit earlier last week did little to provide the momentum needed to unseat the defending NBA champions in their own building. Milwaukee looked overmatched without center Andrew Bogut, who missed the game after suffering a suspected concussion in the win over the Pistons the night before. Bogut was cleared to practice over the weekend and is expected to return to the lineup for Monday's game in Philly.
ABOUT THE 76ERS (9-3): Most teams would be worried if their leading scorer was a bench player - but not the Sixers. They rely on balanced scoring from their starting five, while letting reserve guard Louis Williams rack up the shots as the leader of the second unit. Williams has been one of the top per-minute scorers in the NBA so far this season, averaging 16.1 points in just 25 minutes of action. He's shooting 45 percent from the field and a career-best 39.5 percent from beyond the arc.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. The teams split four meetings last season, with the home team prevailing each time.
2. The Bucks and Spurs are the last two remaining teams to be unbeaten at home and winless on the road. The Spurs are 9-0 in San Antonio and 0-4 everywhere else.