Giannis, Bucks Rally to Beat Joel Embiid, 76ers in Overtime

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

The Milwaukee Bucks made progress toward their quest for the top seed in the Eastern Conference on Wednesday, defeating the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers 109-105 and snapping the team’s six-game winning streak in the process.

Philadelphia’s Furkan Korkmaz forced overtime with a tying three with 1.1 seconds left, capping a 9-2 run for Philadelphia in the final 40.1 seconds of play. But Philadelphia, which led for much of the game, couldn’t hang on in overtime, as Giannis Antetokounmpo went on a personal 7-0 run in the extra period to secure the win.

Antetokounmpo posted a double-double with 32 points and 15 rebounds for the 26-14 Bucks, who are now winners of five straight.

For the 28-13 76ers, Tobias Harris led with 19 points and nine rebounds.

Notable Performers

76ers Suffer Late Collapse Against Antetokounmpo

Philadelphia hasn’t had to game-plan for containing back-to-back MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo yet this season. But when they were thinking about this meeting in the back of their minds, the 76ers probably envisioned Joel Embiid being a part of it in some way.

When the two teams played last season, Embiid was tasked with covering Antetokounmpo more often than any other Philadelphia player, according to Kyle Neubeck of Philly Voice. Behind him, it was Al Horford, who is now with the Oklahoma City Thunder. That meant it would really be a new ballgame against Milwaukee on Wednesday.

With Ben Simmons in charge of keeping Antetokounmpo in check, the 76ers had little trouble flying out to a 45-31 halftime lead. They outshot the Bucks from the field, hitting 41.3 percent of attempts overall and 35.7 percent from three.

The 76ers limited Antetokounmpo to just four points by the break, days after the star posted a triple-double for the third consecutive game.

Harris had another strong outing offensively, leading Philadelphia with 10 points at the half.

But for all of their defensive success in the first half, the offensive side of their game suffered heading down the stretch. Milwaukee was able to overcome its deficit early after the break, with every Bucks starter scoring in double digits.

Philadelphia’s collapse was punctuated when Seth Curry, who has been dealing with an ankle issue throughout the season, headed to the locker room late in the fourth quarter. The team later announced he would not return after suffering a left ankle sprain.

He dropped 10 points in his 26 minutes on the court.

Bucks Overcome Slow Start

The Bucks were off to a miserable start, missing 18 of 21 shots leading up to the midway point of the second quarter. They didn’t record their first field goal of the frame until there was 6:26 left, with the only points leading up to then stemming from a pair of Jrue Holiday free throws.

They ended the first half by shooting just 25 percent from the field and hitting one shot from beyond the arc on 17 attempts, accruing just 31 points in 24 minutes. That’s a dismal number for any team, but it’s particularly eyebrow-raising when you consider that the Bucks are the league’s second-most productive offense, with an average of 119.7 points per game, and they were playing against the Embiid-less 76ers.

Holiday was the star for Milwaukee in the first half, single-handedly saving their second quarter and leading all scorers with 12 points at the break. Khris Middleton was next, though he only had seven points on 3-of-9 shooting.

Antetokounmpo overcame his struggles in the third quarter, dropping nine points, while Donte DiVincenzo overtook the team lead in scoring with 15 points. He ended the night with 20.

Altogether, the Bucks posted 34 points in the third quarter—more than their first- and second-quarter totals combined—to encroach within nine points of Philadelphia, which once led by as many as 19 points.

In the fourth, everything came together for the Bucks. They opened the quarter on a 6-2 run and by the time there were under eight minutes left to play, they managed to get the lead back and hold on to it, asserting their dominance over the top team in the East after a tough start.

What’s Next?

Philadelphia will host the Sacramento Kings on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.

The Bucks head home to face the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday at 9 p.m. ET.