NBA Rumour

Into the dog days of the season, the NBA rumour mill is focused on injuries rather than player movement. Stars are missing games, and injuries are threatening to derail entire seasons.

Looking ahead to a Philadelphia 76ers vs Milwaukee Bucks prediction as the teams enjoy an Eastern Conference showdown, there’s concerning news about James Harden’s hamstring. Anthony Davis and LeBron James are yet to return. The sheer number of injuries to star players has already impacted this season. It could yet ruin what should be a brilliant postseason.

Denver, who was at the centre of NBA rumour news at the trade deadline, is no longer a title threat after losing Jamal Murray. Durability is always a factor in the NBA, but it’s particularly telling in 2020/21.

With less than a month until the play-in tournament, there’s still plenty to play for in both conferences.

This weekend sees a baseball-style series between the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks.

Philadelphia 76ers vs Milwaukee Bucks Prediction

Speculation and NBA rumour aplenty is focused on the Brooklyn Nets. The personalities, the star power and the storylines continue to roll out of Barclays Center. As a result, the Sixers and Bucks are being overlooked.

At the time of writing, Philly is atop the Eastern Conference. The NBA odds still favour Brooklyn to come out the East, however, and most bookies are leaning towards Milwaukee over the Sixers as second favourites.

These two teams are yet to have a playoff matchup. Both have disappointed in the postseason relative to expectations. This two-game series on Thursday and Saturday could prove to be a preview of a playoff duel, particularly if the Sixers slip to the two seed in the coming weeks.

The availability of Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris is a question mark for the Sixers. Missing their second and third-best players, they fell to the Steph Curry-led Warriors just a few days ago. The scoring punch of Harris and Simmons’ all-world defense is especially valuable against the Bucks.

Only six teams have a worse record against the spread than Milwaukee. Betting Philly to cover is the way to go – the Sixers took the Bucks to overtime last month even with Joel Embiid sitting out.

Philadelphia 76ers vs Milwaukee Bucks Prediction: Sixers cover

Phoenix Suns vs Brooklyn Nets

The Phoenix Suns and Brooklyn Nets matchup on Sunday at 8:30pm BST. Once again, the Nets are at the centre of NBA rumour on a daily basis. This time it’s James Harden who is out indefinitely, and it’s unclear how many games Kevin Durant will play before the end of the season.

In stark contrast, the Phoenix Suns’ injury report is empty. Monty Williams has had minimal issues with availability throughout the campaign.

The Suns are just one game behind the Jazz in the loss column. Snatching the top seed is still possible. Brooklyn harbour their own seeding ambitions, but overtaking the Sixers is going to be tricky.

Kyrie Irving has already carried the Nets to some impressive wins. Beating the Pelicans on Tuesday was a demonstration of the depth on this Brooklyn team with strong contributions from Jeff Green, Landry Shamet and Joe Harris. They are going to need a similarly complete performance to topple the Suns.

It didn’t light up the NBA rumour cycle but picking up Torrey Craig has given the Suns further wing depth. Deandre Ayton continues to provide excellent interior defense. Away from the record-breaking of Chris Paul and shot-making of Devin Booker, Williams is getting contributions from all over the roster. Phoenix is third ATS this season, covering in 63.2% of their games.

No team has won more games than the Suns since the All-Star break, and with the third-best net rating on the season, they are going to get a lot of backing from bettors over the coming weeks.

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