Georges Niang Receives Praise for Offensive Persistence

Saturday night marked the third meeting between the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks so far this season, with each side entering the match with a game in hand.

The Bucks would look to have the better side of the Sixers for the first three-quarters of the game, as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez, and Jrue Holiday were on fire, dropping a combined 86 points over the four quarters.

Joel Embiid, James Harden, and Tyrese Maxey all came up big down the stretch for Philadelphia, though, combining for 56 of the team's 80 points in the second half.

Yet, one player who proved to show up when he was needed on Saturday night was Georges Niang, who had an improved role on the team following the removal of Tobias Harris and P.J. Tucker, who exited the game with injuries.

Niang did what he does best by shooting the lights out from downtown, draining four shots from three on his way to a 13-point second half.

This performance came during a cold spell for the veteran marksman, who has struggled to shoot from beyond the arc in his previous three games.

Doc Rivers highlighted his persistence on the offensive end following Saturday's victory, telling Niang precisely what he brings to the team.

"Georges needed to make a darn shot, he's struggled a couple of games," Rivers told reporters. "We just kept telling him, 'You're a shooter. We're not putting you out there for defense, keep shooting the ball,' and he did that."

The recent cold streak comes as a surprise given that Niang averages two shots from deep per game on 40 percent shooting, neither of which has been reflected leading into Saturday's match.

Declan Harris contributes to All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him on Twitter: @DecIanH.

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