Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers face off after disappointing NBA outings

MILWAUKEE – National Basketball Association (NBA) Eastern Conference rivals coming off disappointing losses match up in Milwaukee on Feb 9 (Feb 10, Singapore time) as the Bucks welcome the Philadelphia 76ers.

Playing without star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee blew a 21-point lead in a 115-110 loss at the Atlanta Hawks on Feb 7. Bucks coach Doc Rivers did not mince words about his team’s performance after the game, which dropped Milwaukee to 2-6 since Jan 27.

“It would have been a joke to basketball if we won the game tonight – we didn’t deserve it,” Rivers said.

“It’s on me. I got to get them to see that you can’t be casual in an NBA game and think you’re going to win the game.”

Kyle Kuzma made his Milwaukee debut after he was acquired from Washington in exchange for Khris Middleton and AJ Johnson. Kuzma scored 12 points (all in the first half) and grabbed seven rebounds off the bench.

Philadelphia trailed by as many as 34 points during their 125-112 road loss to a Detroit Pistons team that played without All-Star guard Cade Cunningham on Feb 7.

It was just the second game the 76ers have lost this season with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George all on the floor. Philadelphia have dropped four of their last five after winning four straight.

Similar to Rivers, 76ers head coach Nick Nurse expressed his disappointment in terms of the effort of his group.

“We didn’t develop any speed, juice or energy at the start,” he said. “They were not one step, they were three steps faster than us at everything. Lots of transition buckets, just about every rebound, just outworked us. It’s inexcusable.”

Maxey leads Philadelphia (20-31) with averages of 27.8 points, 6.2 assists and 1.9 steals per game. Embiid, in just 15 games, is averaging 24.6 points and 8.1 rebounds.

Antetokounmpo paces the Bucks with 31.8 points and 12.2 rebounds per night. Damian Lillard’s 7.5 assists per game are the most for Milwaukee (27-23).

Antetokounmpo missed the Feb 7 game with a calf injury while Liam Robbins (groin), Pat Connaughton (calf) and Kevin Porter Jr (trade pending) also sat out. It is unclear yet whether any or all of them will play on Feb 9.

On Philadelphia’s side, there is no indication any of their big three will have to miss the Feb 9 game given that it is not part of a back-to-back. Guerschon Yabusele’s status is unknown after he missed the Feb 7 game with a knee injury.

On Feb 8, Anthony Davis scored 26 points and pulled down 16 rebounds on his Dallas debut, before leaving in the third quarter with an abdominal injury, to guide the hosts Mavericks to a 116-105 victory over the Houston Rockets.

Meanwhile, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points and Aaron Wiggins added 26 points and 11 rebounds, as the Oklahoma City Thunder topped the Memphis Grizzlies 125-112 in a matchup of the top two West teams. REUTERS