Budding rivalry is must-see TV again
Milwaukee looks to avenge holiday loss
It doesn't happen often, which is why it was so staggering when it did.
On Christmas Day, the Milwaukee Bucks were thoroughly outclassed and manhandled by the Philadelphia 76ers. That game ended up as a 121It 109 loss where the score didn't accurately represent how one-sided the game actually was.
The Bucks trailed by as many as 29 points early in the fourth quarter. Philadelphia — buoyed by making a season-high 21 three-pointers on an astounding 47.7% from deep — maintained a double-digit margin for most of the afternoon before easing off the gas late when Khris Middleton briefly shot the Bucks within nine points in the final two minutes. But that was as close as they got.
It was a day when, outside of Middleton, nothing seemed to work for the Bucks. Their defense was torched by what has otherwise been a belowaverage three-point shooting team. Philadelphia center Joel Embiid played like an MVP, amassing 31 points and 11 rebounds in 281⁄2 minutes. Meanwhile, reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo had his worst game of the season, scoring 18 points on just 8-of-27 shooting, including
going 0 of 7 on three-pointers.
At 7 p.m. Thursday at Fiserv Forum, the Bucks will have their first crack at getting revenge on the 76ers and they're hoping what transpires looks nothing like the first time the two teams locked horns.
“They beat us," Middleton said, thinking back to the first matchup. "As a player, as a competitor, you never want to lose one game, you never want to lose two times in a row to a team."
When the 76ers laid waste to the Bucks in the Christmas Day spotlight, that trouncing seemed to indicate the potential for a power-shift in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks — at the top of the league heading into that matchup — had their weaknesses laid bare.
The Philadelphia team assembled with almost the sole purpose of stifling Antetokounmpo had succeeded. The 76ers' doubted supporting players and bench had done their job, while the Bucks couldn't find any type of spark with Antetokounmpo struggling.
After a slow start to the season, the 76ers looked every bit the Finals contender many expected they would be at the dawn of the season. Meanwhile, the Bucks — less than a week removed from owning an 18-game win streak — were cast as a paper tiger.
However, that one game did not signal the start of a trend for either team. The Bucks rebounded nicely, winning five straight games. After taking a loss in San Antonio, Milwaukee rattled off nine consecutive wins and owns a 16-2 record since Christmas.
Meanwhile, the 76ers flopped out of the holiday with four straight losses. They're just 8-10 since Christmas and are on a three-game losing streak as they arrive in Milwaukee, the last stop on a four-game road trip. Philadelphia is just 9-18 away from Wells Fargo Center, the worst road record among teams with 30-plus wins this season.
And the 76ers' outstanding threepoint shooting against the Bucks? It hasn't held up. In the 18 games since Christmas, the 76ers are just 31.6% from beyond the arc on 32.5 attempts per game. Still, the Bucks recognize that they have to do a much better job defending the three-point line than they did last time around.
“They had a great game against us last time," Middleton said. "Hit some tough threes, hit a lot of threes, somehow we've got to figure out how to contain the paint and get out to the shooters that they've got.”
The Bucks may still be at the top of the league and the 76ers may still be struggling to establish some consistency, but Thursday's nationally televised matchup could still carry plenty of meaning. If the 76ers can earn a win in Milwaukee, it would lend more credence to the idea that Philadelphia has unlocked how to beat Milwaukee and would pose a serious playoff threat.
But if the Bucks can bounce back to even the season series, it'll further entrench Milwaukee as the clear favorite and top team in the league. Considering the history of high-intensity games between these two teams, this matchup isn't one to miss.