76ers at Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks must begin their climb back into the Eastern Conference playoff race without head coach Jason Kidd at the helm. The Bucks announced Kidd will undergo hip surgery and miss the next four to six weeks as they prepared to host the league-worst Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night.
“Our system is our system,” Milwaukee assistant Joe Prunty, who takes over for Kidd in the interim, told reporters. “There’s not an intent to make any changes at all.” The Bucks would like to match their last effort when they beat Phoenix 101-95 on Sunday to salvage the finale of a four-game road trip, and go after their eighth straight victory over the 76ers. Philadelphia has lost 11 consecutive games since its lone triumph after turning the ball over 28 times in a 104-90 loss to Memphis on Tuesday. Rookie Jahlil Okafor has scored at least 18 points in seven of the last eight games for the 76ers, who are winless on the road (0-17).
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSN Philadelphia, FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
ABOUT THE 76ERS (1-29): Okafor continues his progress, averaging 19.6 points and 7.9 rebounds while shooting 49.6 percent from the field over the last eight contests. Point guard Kendall Marshall (4.8 points, 4.4 assists), who is not playing back-to-back nights while he slowly recovers from offseason knee surgery, should return to the lineup after sitting out on Tuesday. Forward Robert Covington has struggled of late (6-of-23 shooting the last three games) and guard Isaiah Canaan is averaging 14.8 points the last four contests.
ABOUT THE BUCKS (11-18): Guards Khris Middleton and Michael Carter-Williams may be finding their best form and that could help carry the Bucks back into contention. Middleton averaged 18.3 points on the four-game road trip and Carter-Williams scored 19.4 and handed out 5.4 assists per contest in the past five. Greg Monroe leads the team in scoring (15.6) and rebounding (9.7) and second-leading point producer Giannis Antetokounmpo (15.6) is questionable after missing the Phoenix game with a knee injury.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Bucks have won four of their last five at home and stand 8-5 overall in Milwaukee while losing 13 of 16 on the road.
2. Philadelphia F Jerami Grant has blocked at least two shots in 17 games this season and averages a team-best 1.73 per outing.
3. Milwaukee has had seven double-figure scorers in a game four times this season – more than any other team in the league.