The city of Philadelphia After the Milwaukee Bucks won a very late game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night in Minneapolis, Giannis Antetokounmpo sat at his locker and acknowledged a good victory over the Western Conference’s top team – but added that winning Sunday in Philadelphia would make it a little more meaningful.
Since Doc Rivers took charge on January 29, the club has not followed up a “good win” with another. This time, the Bucks accomplished it with a strong first half, defeating the 76ers 119-98 in a matinee at the Wells Fargo Center.
The Bucks (37-21) basically put the struggling 76ers (33-24) away in the first half, building a 14-point advantage after the first quarter and increasing it to 21 at halftime.
Damian Lillard scored 17 points, while Bobby Portis (15), Malik Beasley (11) and Antetokounmpo (11) all scored in double figures in the first half, despite the 76ers shooting only 38% from the floor. Without reigning MVP Joel Embiid, the 76ers had the firepower to keep up with the Bucks, who had 19 assists on 26 field goals at the half.
With ball movement, the Bucks shot 56.5% from the field overall and 59.1% (13 for 22) from behind the three-point line.
The 76ers stayed connected through the third quarter, outscoring the Bucks 34-26 to trim the deficit to 13, but they did not pose a serious threat to win in the second half.
Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 30 points and was tied with Lillard for the team lead in assists (9). Lillard tallied 24 points. Portis scored 17 points off the bench, while Brook Lopez had 11 points.
Tyrese Maxey, the 76ers’ lone true offensive option, was pressured enough by the Bucks to go 8-of-19 from the field, scoring 24 points. Maxey tallied seven assists.
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