Bucks Zone

The Milwaukee Bucks rout the Philadelphia Sixers for back-to-back wins

The Milwaukee Bucks climbed to 5-7 under Doc Rivers after easily beating the Philadelphia 76ers.
Matthew Dugandzic|
© Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Behind another strong defensive effort, the Milwaukee Bucks recorded a second-straight win by thumping the Philadelphia 76ers, 119-98, on Sunday.

Milwaukee scored a 112-107 win in Minnesota on Friday night and picked up another win by putting the cuffs on Philadelphia, which was held to just 37 percent shooting from the field.

"We had been putting such an emphasis on defense," said Doc Rivers, who returned to Philadelphia for the first time since he was fired as the team's head coach last season.

The Bucks are starting to get going

The Bucks had no problem shooting the ball, making 43 of their 79 field goal attempts for a high 54.4 percent clip. The Sixers were just 36-of-97 from the field.

"The last few games, we've been terrific. When you have Giannis (Antetokounmpo) on your team, if you can get stops and get him in transition, Giannis in transition is a problem for everybody," Rivers added.

Giannis led the Bucks with 30 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists. Damian Lillard added 24 points as the Bucks improved to 31-27 in the season and 5-7 under Rivers.

Milwaukee banked on a strong start

With Lillard scoring the team's first seven points, the Bucks took off to a strong start and ended the first quarter with a 35-21 lead. Philadelphia surged ahead, 17-16, on a three-pointer by Paul Reed. Milwaukee strung up 11 unanswered points and would never trail again after cruising to a 27-18 lead.

Milwaukee's lead ballooned to 21 at halftime, 69-48. The lead went as high as 25 points in the second half as the Sixers got no closer than 12, sealed the Bucks' easy win.

Malik Beasley contributed 20 points, and Bobby Portis Jr. chipped in 17. Brook Lopez also scored in twin digits for Milwaukee with 11.

Tyrese Maxey led the Sixers with 24 points, and De'Anthony Melton added 16. Philadelphia fell to 33-24 in the season. They have gone 4-8 since reigning MVP Joel Embiid went down with a left knee injury in January.

Giannis Antetokounmpo explains the differences between Doc Rivers and former coach Adrian Griffin

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.