Sixers must rebound in Saturday’s game vs. the Bucks with Eastern Conference title implications abound

MILWAUKEE – Saturday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks is a pivotal one for the 76ers, and their Eastern Conference title hopes.

The Sixers (39-20) are a half game behind the first-place Brooklyn Nets in the conference. Meanwhile, the Bucks (36-22) are 2½ games behind the Sixers in third place.

On Thursday, Milwaukee defeated the Sixers, 124-117, in a game more lopsided than the final score would indicate. That enabled the Bucks to take a 2-0 advantage in the teams’ three-game series. That was important because, regardless of Saturday’s outcome, the Bucks hold the tiebreaker. That would enable Milwaukee to get the higher playoff seed if the teams finish with the same record.

But things could get dicier for the Sixers’ conference title hopes if they lose the contest at Fiserv Forum. Their 2½-game lead would shrink to 1½ with 12 games remaining.

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Some may point to the Sixers having a favorable schedule down the stretch. As of Thursday, the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat are the only opponents in the final 12 games with winning records.

The Sixers will host the Hawks (33-27) in a two-game series on Wednesday and next Friday at the Wells Fargo Center. On May 13, they’ll face the Heat (31-29) at AmericanAirlines Arena.

But it’s hard to predict the strength of any team’s schedule down the stretch with elite teams’ players out of games to heal and rest up for the playoffs. A prime example was the Sixers playing without three starters – Tobias Harris, Seth Curry, and Ben Simmons – in Wednesday’s 106-103 loss to the Phoenix Suns. Joel Embiid, another starter, was scheduled to miss the game but opted to play.

Saturday will mark the fourth consecutive game Simmons will miss with an illness. The three-time All-Star point guard didn’t travel with the team Wednesday night to the Cream City.

Coach Doc Rivers said the illness is more serious than originally thought but not a lot of games will be missed.

“But it’s more serious than we hoped for because he’s still missing games,” Rivers said. “And we just need him to get well.”

Meanwhile, Embiid (right shoulder soreness) and Furkan Korkmaz (right ankle sprain) are listed as questionable.

The Bucks have had the Sixers’ number regardless of who plays. Milwaukee has won four straight and eight of the last 11 series meetings. Bucks standout Giannis Antetokounmpo, the league MVP in each of the last two seasons, averaged 29.5 points and 15.5 rebounds in this season’s first two meetings.

And in regard to battling for the top seed, the Bucks are fully healthy with all of their key rotation players back. Meanwhile, the Sixers and Nets are trying to compete without notable players in Simmons for the Sixers, and Kevin Durant and James Harden for Brooklyn.

While the Sixers have the easiest remaining strength of schedule, according to tankathon.com, the Bucks have the eighth-easiest slate.

That’s why Saturday’s matchup is pivotal for the Sixers.

Knowing the importance of this game and the remaining 13, Harris’ message to his teammate is to stay in the moment.

“Can’t look too forward [in regard] to what games we have or the games another team has,” he said after Thursday’s loss. “That always seems to kind of hurt you in the end because when you look back or look forward that moment is already gone.”

He wanted his team to refocus, recalibrate and get ready for Saturday’s game while approaching things one game at a time.

“If we handle our business, we know at the end of the day we will be satisfied,” he said. “We will do what we can in the best possible way. So that’s my message.”