Milwaukee @ Philadelphia preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 4, 2018 ) Philadelphia 110, Milwaukee 118

The Philadelphia 76ers have a chance to lock up the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference when they host the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday in the finale of the regular season for both teams. The 76ers' 15th consecutive victory - the longest in a single season in franchise history - was a 121-113 triumph at Atlanta on Tuesday and they own a one-game lead on fourth-place Cleveland entering the final day of the regular season.

"We know it's a big game," rookie guard Ben Simmons told reporters. "[The Bucks] are coming in to win, also. So for us, you have to be locked in as soon as the [Hawks game] is over and be ready for the next game." There's a chance that Philadelphia could open up the postseason at home against these very same Bucks, who clinch sixth place with a victory in this matchup. Milwaukee closed out the Bradley Center with a 102-86 victory over the Orlando Magic on Monday. It was the Bucks' seventh win in the past 10 games and left them a game ahead of Miami and Washington entering the season's final day.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN, FS Wisconsin (Milwaukee), NBCS Philadelphia

ABOUT THE BUCKS (44-37): Milwaukee's final seeding means very little compared to the health of superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who missed the last two games with an ankle ailment. Jabari Parker started in place of Antetokounmpo the last two games and is averaging 16 points and 10.5 rebounds in that span while point guard Eric Bledsoe continues to run the show and recorded his fourth career triple-double in the win over the Magic. "Bled’s huge for this team and we’ve been very consistent with that," coach Joe Prunty told reporters. "For as good as he was statistically tonight, there's a lot of things that you don't see in the stat sheet that he impacts the game with, in particular his ability to pressure the ball and defend and that's critical for us."

ABOUT THE 76ERS (51-30): The last seven of Philadelphia's wins have come without All-Star center Joel Embiid, who is not expected to make it back from a fractured orbital bone by the time the playoffs begin. "I think it's just trying to get him with the ball in his hands — touch a ball," coach Brett Brown said Tuesday on 97.5 The Fanatic. "At some point soon really focus on the cardio side of it all. All of those things that will equal him playing an incredibly physical, fast playoff game. Right now we're starting to make inroads but I think it would be misleading to suggest that he could play in Game 1." The Sixers also lost forward Dario Saric at Atlanta when he cut his lip and chipped a tooth in a collision, and he is considered questionable for Wednesday.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Sixers SG JJ Redick is averaging 24.8 points over the last four games.

2. Bledsoe has posted an average of 24.7 points over a six-game stretch.

3. The Sixers can become the first team in NBA history to win the final 16 games of a regular season.

PREDICTION: 76ers 108, Bucks 102