76ers vs. Bucks: Tyrese Maxey's valiant effort outshined by Giannis Antetokounmpo

Today at 09:25 PM

The Philadelphia 76ers (15-26) reached the halfway point of their 2024-25 season, facing the team they began their season against, the Milwaukee Bucks (24-17). In the second game of a back-to-back with Joel Embiid, Paul George, Guerschon Yabusele, Caleb Martin and more sidelined, the Sixers set a new season-high in consecutive losses, dropping their sixth straight. Final score: 123-109.

A starting lineup of Tyrese Maxey, Eric Gordon, Kelly Oubre Jr., Ricky Council IV and Adem Bona (one that was changed at the last minute) faced an almost entirely healthy Bucks lineup that had the luxury of an off day yesterday. Staring down the dynamic duo of Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo was a team with 10 healthy players and most of the healthy rotation inactive.

Another wildly shorthanded squad with some spunk

The 76ers kept it close with the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night but were too undisciplined on defense and on the glass to pull out the win. Once again, most of the main roster was inactive due to injuries. In a bizarre ode to Saquon Barkley’s spectacular playoff performance, the Sixers ushered in their 26th different starting lineup.

Bona ran dribble handoffs and pick-and-rolls with Maxey and the ball handlers around him, showing impressive composure as he flowed into second options and took a few opportune shots in the paint. He fought valiantly against Antetokounmpo but was clearly no match for the superstar, eventually fouling out.

The Greek Freak went to the bench to start the second quarter leading by nine. But when the rat was away, the mice played. The 76ers started the second quarter with a 15-2 run. Maxey did most of the damage, draining some threes and creating havoc on defense that led to his second dunk of the game. They looked like the team with more energy and urgency.

Once Antetokounmpo returned, he hammered away at close-range shots to get his team up by nine at the end of the half again. Conversely, the Sixers shot poorly in the paint. Although they did a solid job of keeping the ball moving in the halfcourt and scoring on their takeaways, they were very much a step behind the Bucks offensively. Even with a solid three-point shooting game for the standards of such a battered bunch, it didn't propel them far enough.

Maxey had one of his most encouraging performances of the season, shooting very efficiently. The 76ers ran different types of double-screening sets to open him up from deep and, lo and behold, it worked! His stat line — 37 points, seven assists, six rebounds, 14-28 field-goal shooting, 6-15 three-point shooting — and overall performance leaves some room for optimism in his abilities. As for the team and its result? Well…

The time for moral victories has passed. The 76ers now have to worry about simply making the playoffs and every real loss hurts that goal. It’s fair to express some relief that they aren't being blown out of the water each and every game, like they did early in the season, but the losses now have clearer implications for how far out of contention the team is.

What do you do against Dame and Giannis?

The 76ers had their hands full with the highest-scoring tandem in the NBA. Fortunately, only one of them was on their A-game for most of the evening. However, that's still all it really took.

Bona took the Giannis assignment first. It’s a wild testament to the team’s injuries and an even more incredible endorsement of the rookie’s abilities. He certainly didn't mail it in but he was very cognizant of not putting himself in positions to get whistled for a foul. With only Pete Nance behind him on the depth chart in this game, the Sixers needed him to play a lot.

Maxey guarded Lillard in a battle of the No. 0’s. Lillard didn't do much of anything to start off but his partner in buckets sure did. Giannis ended the first quarter with 12 points on 6-7 field-goal shooting and a pair of assists. Lillard settled for a lot of threes and wasn't able to find the bottom of the net until later in the fourth quarter.

After Bona picked up his first foul of the game, the 76ers switched to a 2-3 zone. They had their guards up top pinch in to take away the entry pass to Antetokounmpo at the foul line but it gave Milwaukee less resistance on three-pointers and the offensive glass.

Oubre took some turns guarding the Greek Freak to save Bona from foul trouble, but he still found his way there after picking him up in transition. It didn't seem like he clearly did anything wrong but he nonetheless picked up his third foul. The Sixers sorely missed having him, watching as the Bucks ripped off more points with his presence on the bench.

Perhaps the bigger takeaway than the undermanned 76ers being any semblance of good is the Bucks having "potential first-round exit" written all over them. It's probably understood by the majority of NBA fans that the Bucks are not on the same level as other Eastern Conference teams but letting this Sixers lineup hang around for so long was not a great look.

Like the Pacers, the Bucks were at home and more healthy than the 76ers. They also got them on the second night of a back-to-back. In the end, they still pulled away with time to spare, leaving the Sixers with an eponymous number to their current losing streak.

The 76ers will wrap up their road trip on Tuesday against the Denver Nuggets.

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