By: Kylan Watson

After falling to the New York Knicks on Tuesday night, the Philadelphia 76ers faced the Milwaukee Bucks for the final time this season. The Bucks were able to overcome Philly’s early double-digit lead to beat the Sixers 126-113. With the loss the Sixers losing streak extends to 10 games.

The Sixers found their offensive rhythm early in this one they were able to cash in on the high-percentage shooting opportunities created by their ball movement. Adem Bona scored 16 of his 28 points in the first quarter and was unstoppable throughout this game. He kept Philly in this game and gave them multiple opportunities to put points on board. Bona has really developed over the last few weeks and looks like he is ready to take over as the backup center or future power forward for the Sixers, and if he continues to develop on both ends of the floor, he can be a franchise player for Philly.

This scoring explosion from Bona combined with another explosive night from Quentin Grimes (24 points and had 10 assists) and Guerschon Yabusele (22 points) allowed the Sixers to jump out to a 17-point lead by the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter the Bucks finally got going led by Giannis Antetokounmpo who had an historic night against Philly in this game. He scored 35 points, grabbed 17 rebounds, and had 20 assists the first-time in his career and became the first player in NBA history to have a 35-17-20 stat line in a game.

Antetokounmpo took full advantage of the fact the Sixers had no one who could stay with him on the floor tonight. It did not matter if a hand was in his face or not, he found the bottom of the net. During the second quarter he really got going and put the team on his back. When Philly finally made it more difficult for him to score, Antetokounmpo found a teammate at the three-point line, and they cashed in on the opportunity. There was nothing the Sixers could do to stop him tonight and he created four more three-point opportunities (16) than Philly had all night and that was the difference in this game.

Milwaukee was able to take full advantage of the extra opportunities they got from beyond the arc. Once the Bucks got going, they made it tougher for the Sixers to be able to re-create their offensive explosion from the first quarter, they needed some more contributions from somebody else and just did not get it in this contest. Philly continued to fight in this game but just could not overcome Giannis and the Bucks explosive second quarter in this contest.

The Sixers will now prepare to face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night. They will need to limit their turnovers, cash in on the high-percentage shooting opportunities created off their ball movement, and stay connected to their man on the defensive side. Implementing these things into their game plan on Saturday night should put them in great shape to win their 24^th game of the season and end their 10-game losing streak.