Milwaukee Bucks: Grades From 90-82 Win Over Philadelphia 76ers
By Adam McGee
The Milwaukee Bucks finally clinched a spot in the playoffs, but they did it the hard way in a sloppy game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
It may be lost in comparing the Milwaukee Bucks’ recent hot streak to this caliber of performance, but the reality is that this was the kind of gutsy result that often seemed beyond the Bucks in recent years.
Missing key players through injury, playing far from their best and finding themselves trailing early on, Milwaukee’s comeback showed the kind of fortitude that has long been described as what you expect from playoff teams. That was particularly fitting on the night the Bucks clinched their place in the postseason.
This certainly wasn’t the kind of performance which you’d expect to strike fear into the hearts of playoff opponents, as put simply Milwaukee looked awful for much of this game. At the same time, the reason why they could play that way and still prevail — even against a team as poor as Philadelphia — is exactly the reason why they may have a chance of a first round upset.
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Of course, the reason I’m referring to is Giannis Antetokounmpo. Even feeling very under the weather and looking completely out of sync early in the game, Antetokounmpo found a way to influence the outcome across all departments of the box score and led with the maturity of someone far beyond his tender 22 years of age.
Thanks to the stellar play of their star, the focus for the Bucks now shifts to looking ahead rather than looking over their shoulders. Playoff seeding may still be important, but top priority was always making it in and that’s exactly what the Bucks have done.
Let’s take a closer look at the game, by grading the Bucks individually, Jason Kidd and the 76ers.