By: Kylan Watson
After falling to the Charlotte Hornets yesterday afternoon in their worse performance of the season so far, the Philadelphia 76ers faced the Milwaukee Bucks for the second time this season. Thanks to an offensive explosion from Paul George the Sixers were able to beat Milwaukee 139-122 for their 25th victory of the season.
Unlike yesterday afternoon the Sixers found their offensive rhythm early and often throughout this game. Joel Embiid (29 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, and had 5 assists in this contest) scored 18 of his 29 points in the first quarter and really set the pace for Philly in tonight’s game. He dominated both sides of the court and even finished an alley-oop dunk attempt which set the building on fire. Over the last two to three months, he is really looking like his old self and if he continues to look like this throughout the rest of the season, Philly will be a problem for opposing teams and in the playoffs.
While Embiid dominated the first half of this game Paul George (32 points and made 9/15 three-pointer in this contes tying a franchise record) took over in the second half and finished this game for Philly. This was George’s best game in a Sixers uniform so far this season, and if he can continue to put points on the board on top of playing stifling defense then that will add another dimension to Philly’s capabilities on both sides of the ball.
Despite the offensive explosions from Embiid and George, the Bucks continued to fight in this contest. Myles Turner (31 points) and Ryan Hollins (24 points) combined for 55 of Milwaukee’s 122 points and both players did all they could to keep their team in this game. However, the Sixers were able to turn up the defensive pressure and force the Bucks to take difficult shots, and they were able to grab the rebound, something they didn’t do against the New York Knicks and Hornets. That allowed the Sixers to create easy bucket opportunities which unlocked their offense in this contest. When Philly plays like they did tonight not many opposing teams can compete with them.
Another positive thing that happened in this game was that Jared McCain found his scoring rhythm again. He scored 17 points and made 5/6 of his three-point attempts in this game, McCain saw the floor more in this game because Quentin Grimes missed this game tonight with a sprained ankle. That led to an opening for McCain, and he took it if he can continue to round into form and help stabilize the Sixers second unit that will be a remarkable thing for Philly and a great development for McCain after struggling throughout this season.
For the second time this season, Philly’s “Big Three” scored 20 plus points in a contest. Tyrese Maxey had a quiet game in this contest for his standards, Maxey scored 22 points in this game, and he did not have to do much in this contest because of the performances of Embiid and George. That allowed him to be able to let the game come to him and get some much-needed rest. Over the last few games, it seems like playing the most minutes in the league has caught up to Maxey who needs as much help as he can get so he can get some rest and stay healthy as the All-Star break approaches.
The Sixers will now prepare to play the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night and will need to limit their turnovers, win or keep the rebounding battle competitive, and continue to cash in on the high-percentage shooting opportunities their ball movement creates. Implementing these things into their game plan on Thursday night, will put them in great shape to win their 26th game of the season and continue to build momentum heading into the All-Star break.
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