Bucks dominate Embiid-less 76ers to go 2-0 after All-Star break

Highlights

• Giannis Antetokounmpo shines with near-triple-double in Milwaukee’s dominant win.
• The Bucks displayed terrific offense and defense to overpower the 76ers.
• Doc Rivers returned to Philadelphia for the first time since getting fired last May.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks took down the Joel Embiid-less Philadelphia 76ers on the road, 119-98, in an early Sunday afternoon tip-off to remain undefeated after the All-Star break.

Antetokounmpo nearly tallied a triple-double with 30 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists to lead the Bucks, while Damian Lillard added 24 points. Milwaukee’s supporting cast also came through for its two stars with solid performances.

The Bucks’ offense was humming and flowing nicely to open the game as they recorded 10 assists in the first quarter to race out to a 35-21 lead. Lillard scored 11 of his 24 points, including the first seven, in the opening quarter.

Philadelphia strung together an 11-0 run at the start of the second period, but the Bucks eventually closed the quarter on an 18-8 run thanks to a flurry of three-pointers. Antetokounmpo ended the half with this full-court touchdown pass to Brook Lopez to take a 21-point advantage into the intermission.

The 76ers managed to close the gap to as low as 11 points after Tyrese Maxey made a difficult left-wing three-pointer with a minute and change remaining in the third quarter.

But that was as close as Philadelphia could get in the second half. Maxey led the Sixers with 24 points and seven assists as they suffered their third loss in four outings.

Bucks finding stride on both ends of the floor

Could this be the start of their turnaround?

The Bucks showcased their dominance on both ends of the floor as the 76ers sorely missed the presence of the reigning NBA MVP. Milwaukee shot 54.4 percent from the field and made 48.6 percent from beyond the arc. As a team, they also dished out 32 assists and outscored them in paint, 46-38.

On the defensive end, they held Philadelphia to just 37.1 percent shooting overall and also forced the Sixers to shoot just 16-of-46 from long distance. They also outhustled Philly 40-28 on the defensive glass.

Milwaukee had issues either offensively or defensively through the majority of the season, which is why this impressive two-way game is a breath of fresh air for the Bucks. Under former head coach Adrian Griffin, the Bucks had the No. 2 offense in the league, but were just 19th defensively.

Under Doc Rivers’ first 10 games as coach, they were down to 24th on offense, but moved into the top-10 in defense. Perhaps this all-around game against Philadelphia could continue to ignite the Bucks on both ends of the floor.

Doc’s first time back in Philadelphia

Sixers fans gave Bucks’ head coach a chorus of boos

Rivers returned to Philadelphia for the first time since getting fired from the 76ers last May. Sixers fans at the Wells Fargo Center made sure to let their former coach know just exactly how they felt about him by greeting him with a chorus of boos during the player-coaches introductions.

The boos were loud, but the Bucks managed to shut them up with a strong opening quarter that quickly took the crowd out of the game. In the end, Rivers and his new team got the last laugh as Milwaukee dealt Philadelphia its 24th loss of the season.

Rivers was certainly in a good mood after notching his fifth win with the Bucks when he was asked to reflect about his time in Philadelphia.

“It was awesome. I had three good years here, and I’m not talking about basketball, I’m talking about life. I enjoyed my stay here. I have made friends for life. The fans were good, too.”

Rivers coached the 76ers for three seasons and led them to three postseason appearances. However, the champion coach failed to get Philadelphia past the second in each of his three years with the franchise.

He lost a Game 7 at home to the lower-seeded Atlanta Hawks during the 2021 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, and blew a 3-2 lead in the second round against the Boston Celtics last year, which led to his dismissal.

Rivers’ tenure in Milwaukee did not start out well. He experienced a little bit of turmoil after the Bucks lost to the lowly Memphis Grizzlies in their final assignment prior to the All-Star break. The embarrassing defeat prompted him to call out his players, saying some of them were already in vacation mode.

Nonetheless, it seems like the break has rejuvenated the Bucks. They look to build on this recent success with three relatively easy games coming up on their schedule, two straight against the Charlotte Hornets and then the Chicago Bulls.

After that stretch, they will go on a five-game stretch against the four California teams, with two of them coming against the Los Angeles Clippers.