THE Milwaukee Bucks look to turn things around after an unsuccessful road trip as they face visitors Philadelphia 76ers Thursday evening.
Milwaukee finished its California road trip 1-3 after a 129-94 loss to the Kings in Sacramento on Tuesday night.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 30 points and 13 rebounds. Malik Beasley and Bobby Portis each scored 11, with Damian Lillard scoring just 10 on 2-of-12 shooting.
“The ball didn’t move tonight, we made some tough shots. Sacramento helped a lot and we didn’t take advantage of it,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “I thought we chased points all night and won two.”
Rivers added that his team’s focus wasn’t where it should have been before the game as it was the final leg of a difficult journey.
“It’s my fault, I didn’t prepare them mentally the way they should,” Rivers said. “When filming, the guys were talking about planes and leaving. It was a long day.”
Philadelphia is also coming off a blowout loss, losing 106-79 in its second straight game in New York against the Knicks.
The 76ers have scored 79 points in two straight games after winning a defensive battle on Sunday. On Tuesday, Kelly Oubre Jr. led Philadelphia with 19 points while Tyrese Maxey added 17.
“It starts with competition, physicality and execution; we didn’t start the game with any of those things,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said. “You have to have all three of them, especially against a team that’s pissed off that you just beat them.”
With Joel Embiid out, Maxey leads the 76ers with 25.9 points and 6.2 assists per game. Tobias Harris grabs 6.3 rebounds per game and Oubre averages just over a steal.
Embiid (knee) remains out, while Robert Covington (knee) and De’Anthony Melton (back) are also out and won’t be able to go Thursday.
Antetokounmpo leads Milwaukee with 30.8 points, 11.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. Lillard delivers just under seven assists and Brook Lopez blocks 2.6 shots per game.
On the injury side, Khris Middleton (ankle) will miss his 16th consecutive game. MarJon Beauchamp sat out with a back injury and is listed as questionable.
Milwaukee is looking to win the season series after winning the first two matchups 118-117 on opening night and 119-98 on February 25.
In the Feb. 25 win at Philadelphia, Antetokounmpo led the way with 30 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists, with Lillard adding 24 points and nine assists. Beasley added 20 points on 6-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc.
Maxey led the Embiid-less Sixers with 24 and seven assists. This was Rivers’ first time coaching in Philadelphia after being fired by the team last offseason.
–Field level media
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