Sixers Join Bucks as +175 Co-Favorites to Win Eastern Conference

• The 76ers are now co-favorites to win the 2020 Eastern Conference championship
• The Bucks are 1-1 following an upset loss to the Heat at home
• Should Philadelphia be on par with Milwaukee, a team that won 60 games last year?

The latest NBA Conference odds have seen the Philadelphia 76ers become co-favorites to win the East, joining Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks at +175. The Sixers sit at 2-0 despite Joel Embiid missing the second game of their campaign with an ankle injury. Milwaukee is 1-1 after an overtime loss to the Miami Heat on the weekend.

Before opening night, Philadelphia was just behind Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference betting at +200.

Odds to Win Eastern Conference

Odds taken Oct. 28.

Sixers Defense As Expected

The Sixers’ defense was expected to be among the best in the NBA. They haven’t disappointed in their opening two games against the Celtics and Pistons, posting the best adjusted defensive rating in the NBA so far.

The Celtics struggled from the field on opening night, as the Sixers’ size caused problems for Boston all game. Away from a 31-point showing from Derrick Rose, the Pistons also had a rough night offensively.

Sixers’ defense has been as good as advertised pic.twitter.com/7AGbbYi4Ly

— Andrew Porter (@And_Porter) October 24, 2019

Philly’s interior defense has been vulnerable without Embiid over the past two seasons, but the signing of Al Horford has gone a long way to addressing that. On the perimeter, Josh Richardson is a marked upgrade on JJ Redick. Richardson’s 3.5 deflections per game is good for 18^th in the league – Ben Simmons and rookie Matisse Thybulle are two of the players with more.

The Celtics’ poor shooting – just 36.7% from the field and 58.8% from the free throw line – aided the Sixers’ push for victory on opening night. Some of it was down to fortune, but it was also a result of stellar defense. The Sixers limited the Celtics to very few open looks and didn’t allow Boston to drive to the basket. Boston won’t be the last team to suffer several rejections against Philly either – the Sixers blocked seven shots at Wells Fargo Center last Wednesday.

Up And Down Bucks

It’s been a mixed start for the Bucks. Winning in Houston was a major achievement, particularly after Antetokounmpo fouled out. An overtime loss to the Miami Heat at Fiserv Forum was a disappointment.

Their adjusted offensive and defensive ratings rank 17^th and 18^th in the NBA, respectively, at this early stage. The first half of the Heat game – they shot 14-of-30 from deep – was a sign of what this Bucks unit could be offensively. The second half, however, was a good example of the downside, as shot selection from downtown became poor and the Heat stormed back into the game. The Bucks hit three of their 24 three-point attempts in the second half.

While it’s too early to read much into it, it’s worth keeping an eye out for the Bucks’ fouling over the next few games. Antetokounmpo has already fouled out as much this season as his did in 2018/19. The Bucks are committing 29.5 personal fouls per game compared to 19.9 last season.

KYLE KORVER ENDS THE FIRST HALF IN STYLE#FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/e7Y6tZ52K6

— Bally Sports Wisconsin (@BallySportWI) October 26, 2019

Discipline is a key component of Mike Budenholzer’s defense. Unless the number of fouls reduce drastically, Milwaukee will be a much worse defensive team than last season, when they finished with the second-best adjusted defensive rating in the NBA.

Sixers The Value Pick

The Sixers look the best bet of the two right now. Shooting is still a worry for Philadelphia – they are hitting under 32% of their threes on the season – but their defense has suffocating opponents. The offense, while not the most fluent in the league, has been doing enough. Tobias Harris’ 29-point performance against Detroit will give Brett Brown hope he can build on his breakout year in 2018/19.