Twas the day of Christmas, and a freak was on set.
No not one in the sheets, but one who wears sneaks.
He gained the name Freak, with a game so unique.
He’s led all the Bucks, to a 27-4 record as we speak.
But across the court, stood two giants near peak.
One named Ben, whose game is also unique.
So very similar. but not even close to the Freak.
The other named Joel, known for his antics and posts.
But often we wonder, should focus more on hoops and less on jokes?
So the matchup is set, in a battle of who’s next?
Only one team will win, and one giant will flex.
Okay, enough of this cringe-worthy Christmas riddle. For the first time on Christmas, the Bucks at 76ers. The Bucks hold an all-time Christmas Day record of 3-2 and enter this game a 27-4. They sit on top of the Eastern Conference in standings. The 76ers enter with a 17-14 all-time record on Christmas and sit at fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 22-10 record. With the matchup set, let’s look at how each team can win.
How the 76ers Win
As easy and dry as it sounds, stop Giannis Antetokunmpo. The Greek Freak will continue to do Freak like things on the basketball court. How the 76ers will limit him is the real question. Recently, Giannis quieted several haters about his jump shot after hitting a career-best five triples against the Lakers to go along with 34 points.
The following nights, he went 2-4 from three against the Knicks and 1-3 against the Pacers. The positive for the 76ers is the fact that Giannis gets two full days off before the matchup. At this point, they can hope he stuffed his plate and overate because if he remains hot, the 76ers will be in for a long night.
The likely defensive matchup will see Ben Simmons against Antetokunmpo. With both standing similar in height, Simmons can impact him in several different ways from staying with him on drives to the hoop and be able to fully contest his shot. Even with Simmons guarding Antetokunmpo, the 76ers have used their rookie defensive specialist Matisse Thybulle in situations to let Simmons roam more freely in help situations.
The 76ers will simply need to collapse on drives from Antetokumpo and force others such as George Hill and Khris Middleton to be enough of an impact if they expect a win.
How the Bucks Win
Similar to teams recently joining the trend, the Bucks will benefit from playing zone against the 76ers.
The 76ers currently sit 26th in three-pointers per game attempted at 30. While the number may seem high, in comparison to the league-leading Houston Rockets, they shot 15 less and more reasonably, they shoot 10 less than the second-place Dallas Mavericks.
For the Bucks, the matchup should be simple. Force the 76ers to shoot and make three-pointers. They have one player on their team who shoots four or more 3-pointers a game at a clip of 35% or higher. That player is Josh Richardson. Now obviously, the Bucks will still have to worry about the threat of other players like Al Horford or Tobias Harris having their moments, but it is likely that the Bucks will figure something out seeing that they have still the highest defensive rating in the league.
Like all hoops fans hope for, this should be a fun matchup of two top Eastern Conference teams.
Merry Christmas from Belly Up Sports!
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