Giannis Antetokounmpo had 27 points, 16 rebounds, and 6 assists to lift the host Milwaukee Bucks past the Philadelphia 76ers, 124-117, on Thursday, April 22 (Friday, April 23, Manila time).
Khris Middleton added 24 points, Bobby Portis had 23, and Brook Lopez 16 for the Bucks, who snapped a two-game losing streak.
Jrue Holiday had 12 points and 11 assists for the Bucks (36-22).
The Bucks, who made 20 treys on 40 attempts, will host the Sixers again on Saturday.
Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons (illness) did not travel to Milwaukee, missing a third consecutive game. Reserve Furkan Korkmaz also sat out after tweaking his ankle Wednesday against the Phoenix Suns.
Joel Embiid dropped 24 points to lead the Sixers (39-20), who have dropped three in a row.
Shake Milton added 20 and Tobias Harris had 18 in his first game back after missing the previous three with knee soreness. Seth Curry, Tyrese Maxey and Mike Scott contributed 11 each.
The Bucks hit their first 10 shots of the game, bolted to a 20-point advantage and led 77-60 at halftime. Milwaukee sank 13-of-21 first-half three-point attempts and was led by Middleton with 21 points on 9-for-11 shooting. Embiid paced the Sixers with 17 at the break.
The Sixers closed within 81-70 after Embiid made 1-of-2 free throws with 9:19 left in the third quarter. Milwaukee responded with the next five points to quickly extend its lead back to 16.
Philadelphia cut the deficit to 94-85 late in the third, but the Bucks finished strong and held a 108-87 advantage at the end of the quarter.
Portis scored Milwaukee’s last nine points on three triples to help build the 21-point lead.
Milton hit a jumper and Maxey made a tough layup for the Sixers to open the fourth. But with Embiid on the bench, the Bucks still led 122-107 with 5:01 remaining in the fourth.
The Sixers struggled with their offensive rhythm over the next few minutes but managed to close within 122-110 when Maxey converted a three-point play with 2:44 left.
A late 14-1 run closed the Sixers within six 123-117 in the waning seconds. – Rappler.com
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