Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from 109-105 win over Philadelphia 76ers

Third takeaway from win over 76ers — Giannis Antetokounmpo saves day for Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks made their gargantuan effort to come back and had their chance to seal the deal late in regulation, but were in desperate need of closing it out. Having failed to do so in regulation, it was Antetokounmpo who rose up to the challenge in overtime.

Antetokounmpo was simply incredible over the final five minutes as he carried the Bucks to victory by getting to the basket, whether driving down the lane, backing down Tobias Harris in the post or hitting his clutch three with 1:57 to go in overtime. Scoring 10 of the Bucks’ 16 points in overtime, the 26-year-old finished his showing much stronger than how he started the night.

That, though, was indicative of the Bucks’ night overall. Antetokounmpo’s performance was truly messy at times, especially as he had trouble dislodging Ben Simmons when Antetokounmpo was looking to rampage his way towards the cup early on. That certainly affected Antetokounmpo abhorrent shot selection like launching early triples and there was plenty that he had to figure out, just like the Bucks as a whole.

The fact that Antetokounmpo fought through that adversity and helped vault the Bucks’ comeback bid over the time speaks to the strides that and the teams are making, especially late in games.

All in all, Antetokounmpo finished with 32 points on 13-for-22 shooting (1-for-5 from three, 5-for-8 from the free throw line), 15 rebounds, six turnovers, five assists in 42 minutes and 50 seconds.

The Bucks will search for their sixth straight victory when they host the San Antonio Spurs Saturday night at Fiserv Forum.