The Milwaukee Bucks came back to the Fiserv Forum arena last night after a tough four-game west coast road trip, where this Bucks team dropped three of their four games played. Milwaukee knew that they needed a desperation win to get them out of the slump they’re currently in. Although the Philadelphia 76ers held the lead for most of this game, the Bucks rallied and made a superb fourth-quarter 114-105 comeback.
Now at 43-24 and nine and a half games behind the Boston Celtics for the first seed in the Eastern Conference, the Milwaukee Bucks need to pick up as many wins as they possibly can and solidly the second team within the East. They only sit a half-game above the Cleveland Cavaliers, and with 15 games remaining, Milwaukee needs to pick up as many wins as possible, and still be on a good note with one another before playoff time arises.
Philadelphia drops to 36-30, seventh in the Eastern Conference. The Sixers have been desolate without their MVP Joel Embiid.
Milwaukee Bucks Superb Rally in the Fourth Quarter to Win 114-105 Against the 76ers
Back when these two teams faced each other on February 25th, the Bucks got an easy victory on the road in Philly, dominating the 76ers 119-98. To start last night’s matchup, both teams went back and forth with each other until the 76ers were able to stretch out a five-point lead after 12 minutes of action. During the second quarter, Philadelphia was able to push their lead to 10 points which was their biggest lead for the Sixers at that point. Even with the Bucks constantly fighting to stay afloat during this matchup, they still trailed 61-53, an eight-point deficit going into halftime.
Tyrese Maxey led the 76ers with 18 first-half points. Besides Cameron Payne, who had 11 points, no other Sixer scored in double-digits during those first two quarters. Giannis led the charge for the Bucks, who dropped 14 first-half points, but also had four turnovers to his name. Brook Lopez scored 10, and AJ Green, who Doc River said will play a key role for the team moving forward had eight points.
While Philadelphia tried to extend their eight-point lead during the second half of action, the Milwaukee Bucks did everything to make this an interesting game for the hometown fans. These two teams would go back and forth with one another until one point, Philly had a ten-point lead again. However, in six minutes, Milwaukee would recapture the lead. The Sixers brought the lead back to five before the Bucks finished the third quarter down by just three points.
During the fourth quarter, the Milwaukee Bucks went on a 32-24 run to win this ball game on their home court. With a little less than nine minutes remaining in the game, the Bucks took an 88-87 lead and never looked back as their superb fourth-quarter rally is what led Milwaukee to this great, and much-needed win.
Giannis led the way for the Milwaukee Bucks finishing with 32 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, a steal, and a whopping seven turnovers. Brook Lopez dropped 19 points and finished with five three-pointers. Lopez also had seven rebounds, five assists, a steal, and two blocks. Damian Lillard had 19 points, and nine assists in the big win. For Philadelphia, Tyrese Maxey recorded 30 points, four rebounds, and four assists. Tobias Harris scored 15 points in the loss.
Will it help being at home for the next week?
Rivers: It does help. We have two days off. And we may practice on both days, which is unusual to do, number one, and unusual that you have two days. But we feel like we may do it regardless, just to get him some time with the guys.
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) March 14, 2024
With Khris Middleton’s return imminent, this will certainly relieve the stress off of Giannis and Dame, especially on the offensive end. With the ‘Greek Freak’ admitting this has been the toughest NBA season for him personally, perhaps Antetokounmpo can focus this team on getting everybody to the next step and playing their absolute best every night.
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