Antetokounmpo lifts Bucks to 109-105 OT victory over 76ers
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 10 of his 32 points in overtime to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 109-105 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night in a matchup of two of the Eastern Conference’s best teams.
With P.J. Tucker reportedly headed to Milwaukee in a trade with Houston, Donte DiVincenzo scored 20 points and Jrue Holiday added 19 for the Bucks, who have won five in a row and 10 of 11.
Milwaukee’s D.J. Augustin and D.J. Wilson, who according to ESPN will be traded to the Rockets, did not play. Torrey Craig, reportedly headed to Phoenix in a separate deal to clear salary space for Tucker, also sat out.
Tobias Harris scored 19 points and Danny Green added 18 for Philadelphia, which had its six-game winning streak snapped. Philadelphia All-Star Joel Embiid sat for the third straight game with a bruised left knee. Ben Simmons had 13 points and 12 assists and hit a late 3-pointer.
The Bucks (26-14) pulled within 1 1/2 games of the East-leading 76ers (28-13).
Antetokounmpo finished with 15 rebounds and five assists, ending a streak of three straight triple-doubles.
After being hounded by Simmons for most of the game, Antetokounmpo found his offense in the extra session with Simmons in foul trouble.
He scored 10 straight Bucks points, the last a 10-foot jumper in the lane that pushed Milwaukee’s lead to 105-98 with 1:11 left in overtime. He sat on the court near the 76ers bench after the bucket, drawing boos from the fans.
Milwaukee rallied from a 19-point second-half deficit and went ahead 91-84 on Holiday’s corner 3 with 52.3 seconds left in regulation. The Bucks still led 93-90 on Khris Middleton’s layup with 3 seconds left. After a timeout, Furkan Korkmaz drained a corner 3 with 0.4 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime.
The first half was a struggle for Antetokounmpo and the Bucks. The two-time MVP was hounded by Simmons at every step. He managed just four field-goal attempts, making one.
Milwaukee missed 16 of 17 3-point tries in the opening half and 33 of 45 shots overall, settling for a season-low 31 first-half points in addition to 13 turnovers. The Bucks’ previous low in a first half was 41 points.
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Tucker has averaged 7.2 points and 5.8 rebounds in an 11-year career for Houston, Toronto and Phoenix.
TIP-INS
Bucks: Improved to 11-9 on the road. ... DiVincenzo played his college ball at nearby Villanova.
76ers: Embiid, who watched from the bench in an orange hoodie and slippers, is expected to miss at least another week. ... Philly fell to 18-4 at home. ... Coach Doc Rivers offered words of support to former 76ers center Shawn Bradley, who was paralyzed in a bicycle accident in January. “Really saddened by it,” Rivers said. “Just sending as much positivity to him and his family as we can.” ... Seth Curry sprained his left ankle while driving to the basket with 7:23 left in the fourth. He hobbled to the locker room and didn’t return.