The Bucks absolutely steamrolled the Sixers on Saturday night. Steamrolled. Despite all the hype and anticipation surrounding the match-up, the game turned out to be a good ol’ fashioned blowout, as Milwaukee won by a score of 119-98.
Game Recap: Tale of Two Halves
The Philadelphia 76ers were unquestionably playing some gross basketball to start the game. Falling behind by ten quickly, the team was forced to play catch up all night long against an opponent which is dominant in putting teams away.
Of course, the odds became instantly stacked against Philly, as their All-Star point guard went down in the first quarter.
Just 5 minutes into the game, Ben Simmons could be seen clutching at his back, in noticeable pain. He headed off to the locker room and would not return. After the game, it was announced Simmons would undergo MRI testing. Really bad news for the Sixers organization.
Despite the Sixers’ inability to put together any form of decent basketball, they found themselves down just 6 at halftime. A surprising feat considering Joel Embiid was struggling and newly acquired “shooters” Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III were a combined 0/6 from three.
As the second half began, the inevitable seemed to dawn on a lifeless Sixers squad. Giannis and the Bucks came roaring out of halftime, extending their lead back to double digits and eventually pushing it into the 20s.
In just 29 minutes Giannis put up 31 points, 17 rebounds, 8 assists, and shot 12/17 from the field. For a team that was hell-bent on stopping Giannis this season, they continue to get fried by the soon-to-be 2x MVP.
The Bucks coasted to a win, improving their league-best record to 48-8 while the Sixers see their abysmal road record drop even further down to 9-20.
Where is Everybody?
Embiid shot 5/18 from the field, Harris scored just 11 points, Richardson only had 9, Burks and GR3 were complete non-factors, and Horford was a horrific 1/7 from the field.
Across the board, none of the Sixers key-contributors showed up for the primetime match-up. The only two players with respectable stat-lines were Shake Milton (17 points) and Furkan Korkmaz (17 points) of all people.
While the Bucks saw a plethora of good performances from their role players in Middleton, Bledsoe, and the Lopez twins, the Sixers failed to get any sort of contribution from any of their go-to guys.
Ben Simmons is Actually Injured
Simmons has received the status of being an “iron man” in today’s NBA. He rarely misses games, and regularly plays through nagging injuries.
However, if his MRI comes back with bad news, the Sixers could see the second half of their season end before it really started.
Philly gets the rest of the weekend off, and will travel back home to host the fiesta Atlanta Hawks. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 PM ET.
Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
