The Milwaukee Bucks look to turn things around after an unsuccessful road trip as they face the visiting Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night.
Milwaukee finished its California road trip 1-3 after a 129-94 loss to the Kings in Sacramento on Tuesday night.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 30 points and 13 rebounds. Malik Beasley and Bobby Portis each scored 11, with Damian Lillard scoring just 10 on 2-of-12 shooting.
“The ball didn’t move tonight, we took difficult shots. Sacramento over-helps a lot and we didn’t take advantage of it,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “I thought we chased points all night, took contested twos.”
Rivers added that his team’s focus was not where it should have been before the game due to it being the last stop of a tough trip.
“My fault, I didn’t get them prepared the way they should mentally,” Rivers said. “In shootaround, guys were talking about planes and leaving. It was a long day.”
Philadelphia is also coming off a blowout loss, falling 106-79 in its second straight game in New York against the Knicks.
The 76ers scored 79 points in two straight games after winning a defensive battle Sunday. On Tuesday, Kelly Oubre Jr. led Philadelphia with 19 points while Tyrese Maxey added 17.
“It starts with competing and physicality and execution; we did not start the game with any of those things,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said. “You’ve got to have all three of them, especially against a team that’s pissed off that you just beat them.”
With Joel Embiid out, Maxey leads the 76ers with 25.9 points and 6.2 assists per game. Tobias Harris grabs 6.3 boards per game and Oubre averages just over a steal.
Embiid (knee) remains out, while Robert Covington (knee) and De’Anthony Melton (back) have also been out and won’t be able to go Thursday.
Antetokounmpo leads Milwaukee with 30.8 points, 11.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. Lillard is dishing just under seven assists and Brook Lopez is blocking 2.6 shots per game.
On the injury front, Khris Middleton (ankle) will miss his 16th straight game. MarJon Beauchamp sat with a back injury and is listed as questionable.
Milwaukee is looking to clinch the season series after winning the first two matchups 118-117 on Opening Night and 119-98 on Feb. 25.
In the Feb. 25 win at Philadelphia, Antetokounmpo led the way with 30 points, 12 boards and nine assists, with Lillard adding 24 points and nine assists. Beasley added 20 points on 6-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc.
Maxey led the Embiid-less Sixers with 24 and seven assists. The game was Rivers’ first time coaching in Philadelphia after being fired by the team last offseason.
–Field Level Media