76ers at Bucks
The Philadelphia 76ers continue to make stunning strides and look to lasso their 10th victory in 13 contests when they visit the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday. The 76ers will be without star center Joel Embiid (knee) for the second straight night, but his absence didn't prevent the club from posting a 121-110 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday.
The victory over the Clippers was just the third in 13 games when Embiid has sat out, and coach Brett Brown said the big man's absence provides an opportunity for other players on the roster. "I think those type of words come to my mind more than 'woe is me' stuff," Brown told reporters. "That's not it. That's not it at all. We wind our guys up and we play NBA basketball, and here we go." Milwaukee snapped a five-game losing streak with a 127-114 victory over Houston on Monday. "This win really puts us in the right direction, the right mind frame," forward Jabari Parker told reporters. "Hopefully, we can use this as energy toward the next one."
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSN Philadelphia, FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
ABOUT THE 76ERS (16-27): Second-year center Jahlil Okafor typically gets to play a bigger role when Embiid sits out, but he missed the game against the Clippers due to soreness in his right knee and is questionable to face Milwaukee. Nerlens Noel stepped in as the starting center, and the defensive-minded player was solid with a season-best 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting to go with eight rebounds, five assists, three blocked shots and two steals. The stellar effort against the Clippers included this nugget - Philadelphia had a 36-8 edge in points off turnovers.
ABOUT THE BUCKS (21-23): Parker was back in the starting lineup against Houston after being pulled for one game as punishment for telling the media about the team's players-only meeting on Friday. He reportedly upset several players with his pointed remarks during the meeting, but he has been superb on the floor, exceeding 20 points in seven of his last 10 contests. All-Star small forward Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 31 against the Rockets for his third 30-point performance of the month and has scored 20 or more in 19 of the last 22 games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The 76ers halted a nine-game skid against the Bucks with a 113-104 victory on Jan. 16.
2. Philadelphia F Ben Simmons (foot) - the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2016 - started one-on-one drills, but there isn't yet a timetable for him to make his NBA debut.
3. Milwaukee PG Matthew Dellavedova is averaging 15.5 points on 10-of-14 shooting over his last two games.