Bucks at 76ers
The Milwaukee Bucks locked up the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference but still have a shot to finish the regular season at.500 or better for the first time since the 2009-10 campaign - a feat they can accomplish with a win Monday night at the Philadelphia 76ers. The Bucks clinched their playoff spot with a win Sunday against the visiting Brooklyn Nets and will face either the Chicago Bulls or Toronto Raptors in the first round of the playoffs.
The 76ers, who began the season with 17 straight losses, will finish with 10 straight defeats if they drop this game and Wednesday’s season finale against the visiting Miami Heat. The 76ers lost their earlier games against Milwaukee this season by 12, 20 and 16 points. Philadelphia might also be shorthanded again as it had nine players available when they lost to Bulls on Saturday night, with Nerlens Noel (right ankle sprain), Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (left shoulder strain), Isaiah Canaan (right foot sprained) and Ish Smith (left groin strain) out.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee), CSN Philadelphia
ABOUT THE BUCKS (40-40): There’s a good chance the Bucks take advantage of their locked-in playoff status and rest some of their key players, especially veterans Ersan Ilyasova and Zaza Pachulia. One player who likely won’t get the day off is second-year guard Giannis Antetokounmpo, who didn’t play last week in a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers and coach Jason Kidd indicated it was related to poor play. He has responded by combining for 36 points, 18 rebounds, eight assists and two turnovers in the last two games.
ABOUT THE 76ers (18-62): Robert Covington established himself as an NBA player this season and he’ll try to accomplish something against the Bucks he hasn't in his two-year career. Covington has scored 27 and 22 points in the last two games and will try to hit the 20-point mark in a third straight game for the first time in the NBA. JaKarr Sampson, a 6-9 rookie shooting guard out of St. John’s, took advantage of the shortage of available bodies Saturday night and produced season highs of 18 points in 28 minutes.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Bucks never trailed in their last two wins against the 76ers.
2. Philadelphia G Jason Richardson is the only player left from the roster at the end of the 2012-13 season.
3. The 76ers need to win one of their last two games to match last season’s 19-win total.