Bucks pull away in fourth quarter to hand Sixers their sixth consecutive loss, 123-109
Published in Basketball
MILWAUKEE — Damian Lillard let a 3-pointer fly early in the fourth quarter, before Brook Lopez fired two deep shots of his own. Then, Lillard launched another from the left corner.
Splash, splash, splash, and splash.
That barrage of deep shots created the scoring distance that propelled the Milwaukee Bucks (and former Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers) to a 123-109 victory Sunday night at Fiserv Forum, while simultaneously sending the Sixers into the regular season’s midpoint with their sixth consecutive defeat
The Sixers (15-26) continued to play without 2023 NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid (knee) and flashy newcomer Paul George (groin), as well as rotation players Andre Drummond (toe), Guerschon Yabusele (knee), Caleb Martin (hip), KJ Martin (foot), and Kyle Lowry (hip).
That led to the Sixers’ 26th starting lineup in 41 games: All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey, veteran wings Eric Gordon and Kelly Oubre, second-year wing Ricky Council , and rookie big man Adem Bona. During a first-half stretch, all three players on a two-way contract — Justin Edwards, Jeff Dowtin, and Pete Nance — were on the floor together.
Unsurprisingly, the patched-together Sixers group eventually wore down on the second night of a back-to-back, while playing a Milwaukee team that entered Sunday in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings (24-17).
Maxey’s shot-making and playmaking (37 points, seven assists, six rebounds) kept the Sixers in the game well into the second half. But Giannis Antetokounmpo (34 points, 15 rebounds, six assists) played like a dominant two-time MVP, with his quintessential relentless drives and punishing finishes against Sixers’ young centers Bona and Nance.
Oubre (19 points, six rebounds, three assists) got the Sixers within 105-98 when he hit his own three-pointer with about six minutes remaining in the final period. But Lillard (25 points, five rebounds, four assists) answered with another long ball, then got fouled on two consecutive possessions and sank all five free throws to push the Bucks’ lead up to 113-98.
The Sixers also made a push in the second quarter, using a 15-2 run to grab a 36-32 lead on a 3-pointer by Gordon. But once Antetokounmpo re-entered the game, the Bucks surged to take a 59-50 advantage into the break.
The Sixers conclude this three-game road trip Tuesday at the Denver Nuggets, before playing a home-road back-to-back against the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls on Friday and Saturday.
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