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76ers-Bucks Preview

Jan 27, 2010 - 6:43 AM By KATE HEDLIN STATS Writer

Philadelphia (15-29) at Milwaukee (18-25), 8:00 p.m. EDT

The Milwaukee Bucks lost their sixth straight to the Philadelphia 76ers earlier this season, but their recent play at the Bradley Center might have them feeling optimistic about ending that slide after more than two years.

The Bucks on Wednesday night look to win their fifth straight at home when they host the 76ers, who have played well away from home over the last month.

Milwaukee (18-25) has had a difficult stretch recently, going 3-7 while playing eight of those games on the road. That included Tuesday's 108-107 loss at Dallas.

"The good thing about the NBA is that there is another game right away," Bucks forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute said. "Tomorrow we have another game against Philly and we just have to try and forget this as much as possible.

"But we need to use that intensity and the spirit of competition that we had in this game and go at it tomorrow with Philly."

The Bucks' tough schedule continues with a home-and-home series against Miami starting Saturday, followed by a trip to Orlando. However, they can head into that stretch on a positive note by posting a win over Philadelphia (15-28) for the first time since Jan. 8, 2008.

The 76ers beat Milwaukee 99-86 on Oct. 30 in Philadelphia as Andre Iguodala had 19 points to lead six players in double figures. The Bucks, though, are 13-7 at home thanks to their recent surge.

Against the Mavericks, Bogut scored a career-high 32 points while shooting 13 of 14. He's averaging 23.8 points and shooting 78.7 percent in the last four games.

But Bogut struggled against Philadelphia earlier this season, finishing with eight points on 4 of 9 shooting. In six career home games against the Sixers, Bogut is scoring 7.2 points per contest.

The Sixers are coming off a 109-98 home loss to Indiana on Monday. After beating the Pacers on the road two nights earlier, Philadelphia blew a double-digit lead and was outscored 24-17 in the third quarter.

Iguodala finished with 22 points, but shot 2 of 9 in the pivotal third.

"We do a lot of things positive on the basketball court, we're just not putting together whole games," said Allen Iverson, who scored 20. "That's the frustrating part, because a game like this, we're supposed to win."

The Sixers might have better luck on the road. They've won five of their last seven away from home, averaging 104.3 points - nearly seven above their season average.

Iverson has averaged 35.4 points in his last seven visits to Milwaukee, but hasn't faced them there since Feb. 7 while with Detroit. He had 27 points and nine assists in just over 42 minutes as the Pistons went on to a 126-121 overtime win.