The Milwaukee Bucks swept their season series against the Philadelphia 76ers following a 132-94 win Saturday afternoon.
Philadelphia was without their star-studded tandem Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons in this matchup, which certainly drained some of the intensity out of the game. Embiid previously missed the first meeting of the season, while Simmons missed the second and left the Bucks without facing a full strength 76ers team so far this season.
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Still, this was an interesting one from the start with both teams coming out of the gates slow. After some early struggles, the Bucks took this one by the horns and eventually built up a lead as sizable as 41 in the fourth quarter.
Giannis Antetokounmpo clocked in another MVP-caliber performance by finishing with 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting, 14 rebounds, and seven assists in just under 24 minutes of action.
Following the victory, the Bucks move to 37-22 on the season and now find themselves a game-and-a-half behind the 76ers for the second spot in the East standings. Furthermore, they are now just two-and-a-half games back of the Brooklyn Nets for the top overall seed, and they can gain ground further with an upcoming two game set against them next month.
In short, the Bucks picked up a pair of important wins over the 76ers this week, and here are three takeaways from Saturday’s performance.
The Milwaukee Bucks continue their 3-point barrage in win over 76ers
Milwaukee knocked down an impressive 20 triples in 40 attempts in their 124-117 win over Philadelphia on Thursday.
It was another fantastic shooting night from the behind the arc for the Bucks, and they carried that success over into Saturday’s contest by nearly matching that total. Despite the shooting struggles that plagued them early on, the Bucks found some rhythm as the game progressed by finishing this game shooting 18-for-40 from long range.
Donte DiVincenzo paved the way by connecting on three of his five attempts from three, which helped him find a much-needed groove from deep after some recent struggles. He was joined by Jordan Nwora, who made his presence felt in his limited minutes by shooting 3-for-4 from long distance. More on Nwora’s strong efforts off the bench in a minute.
While Nwora and DiVincenzo helped Milwaukee find some rhythm from deep, Philadephia could never shake the slump that hindered them from the opening tip. They finished the contest shooting just 7-of-31 from range, thanks to a combination of shooting woes and aggressive defense from the Bucks.
It seems that the Bucks have built up some nice momentum with their shooting in these recent contests, and hopefully they can stay red hot down the final stretch.
The Milwaukee Bucks get a massive lift from the second unit in win over 76ers
Milwaukee’s bench has flashed scoring potential at times throughout the season, but it has been rather inconsistent in the bigger picture. However, they were dominant in Saturday’s win by outscoring the 76ers’ second unit 76 to 58.
Bobby Portis followed up his outstanding performance on Tuesday with another solid effort by chipping in 17 points while also grabbing eight rebounds. Right behind him was Bryn Forbes, who made his presence felt by totaling 13 points on shooting 5-of-8 shooting, including 2-of-4 from long range. These two have been the biggest contributors off the Bucks’ bench this season, but they got some reinforcements this time around.
Although he only played during mop-up duty, rookie Jordan Nwora continued to flash his untapped potential by scoring 13 points on 4-for-6 shooting in just over eight and a half minutes. Nwora has had brief stints in the primary rotation for the Bucks throughout the season, and he continues to show the scoring and shooting prowess that he brings to the table. Fellow rookie Sam Merrill also made good in his limited action by knocking down all three of his shot attempts for eight points.
The last massive contributor for the Bucks was Pat Connaughton, who has been having a solid stretch of games following a shooting slump that plagued him in early April. Connaughton scored 11 points while also grabbing six rebounds off the bench.
Although they will not score 76 points per game, performances like these showcase that Milwaukee’s bench can make all the difference in top-heavy matchups. That importance is only amplified when select members of the starting lineup struggle to find a pulse offensively.
Khris Middleton struggles again for the Milwaukee Bucks in win over 76ers
The Bucks have struggled to maintain any consistency throughout April, and a large part of that stems from the game-to-game struggles for Khris Middleton.
The two-time All-Star has endured the highs and lows performance wise, but Thursday’s matchup with Philadelphia was one of his better games during the month. He finished that one with 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting, including 4-of-7 from long range, giving hope that perhaps he had finally flipped the switch.
However, it was back to struggling on Saturday as he scored just four points courtesy of two trips to the free throw line. Middleton was an abysmal 0-for-6 shooting the ball from the field and struggled to get anything going offensively from start to finish.
He was not alone in the starting lineup among those to struggle, as Jrue Holiday finished with just 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting, while Brook Lopez contributed a mere five points on 2-of-7. Still, given how prominent Middleton’s inconsistencies have proven to be during April, his performance is certainly the most highlighted.
Middleton will have another shot to get back on the right track as he and the Bucks will take on the Atlanta Hawks Sunday night. It should be a great game as Milwaukee looks to sweep another season series against a potential playoff opponent, and you can catch the action at 6:30 p.m. CST on NBA TV or Bally Sports Wisonsin.