The Milwaukee Bucks stayed with the Philadelphia 76ers for three quarters, but a Sixers explosion in the opening minutes of the fourth was the Bucks’ undoing. Paul George and Joel Embiid combined to drop
61 points. Milwaukee has now lost all three matchups this season. Read our full summary of the game here and catch a six-minute audio recap on the Bucks+ podcast, Bucks In Six Minutes, below.
Player Grades
Ryan Rollins
38 minutes, 24 points, 4 assists, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, 0 turnovers, 9/17 FG, 2/4 3P, -4
This was a really solid game from Rollins after a slump. He got heaps of on-ball reps and made very few mistakes. I loved the pace he played with and his will to stay aggressive, even when it felt like he wasn’t getting the calls most players get. The dude is just smooth.
Grade: A-
Myles Turner
35 minutes, 31 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 10/16 FG, 4/8 3P, –6
Myles just looked so much more involved than he had been, hunting his shot at every opportunity. I’m not saying his lack of production was Giannis’ fault, but Doc needs to watch this film and figure out how to get him the same looks when/if GA comes back this season.
Grade: A
AJ Green
29 minutes, 8 points, 3 assists, 3/6 FG, 2/4 3P, -1
AJ was fine in this one. Wasn’t a negative out there in any real way, but the shots just didn’t find him, as can be the case for a specialist like himself.
Grade: C+
Kyle Kuzma
31 minutes, 17 points, 8 assists, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, 6/12 FG, 2/4 3P, –5
While he had some ugly plays, I really liked Kuzma’s game overall. He utilised his screening ability and took what the defence gave him, making plays for himself and others. Another part of his game that I liked was his attacking in transition, which is the only real spot where you feel comfortable with him going one-on-one.
Grade: B
Bobby Portis
35 minutes, 17 points, 8 assists, 12 rebounds, 8/16 FG, 0/3 3P, -4
Bobby had some horror possessions on defence and missed an easy layup at one point. But for Portis to have eight assists is amazing. I mean, we may never see something like that ever again! Nah, but seriously, Bobby’s made some real strides this year and deserves all the credit in the world. Love the rebounds too.
Grade: A-
Gary Trent Jr.
20 minutes, 13 points, 4/9 FG, 4/9 3P, -16
Some poor possessions on D from GT, but as a shooter, he did his job on offence.
Grade: C
Gary Harris
13 minutes, 0 points, 2 assists, 0/0 FG, -9
Ummm, well, Gary did play in this one. I don’t recall him doing much to hurt the team, so I’ll give him that.
Grade: C
Cole Anthony
14 minutes, 10 points, 2 turnovers, 3/8 FG, 1/2 3P, –17
I didn’t hate Cole’s game. He’s been more measured of late on offence, but for a low-minutes player like him, he can’t be turning the ball over too much.
Grade: C-
Jericho Sims
10 minutes, 0 points, 1 rebound, 2 turnovers 0/0 FG, –11
Sims had two of the ugliest giveaways I’ve ever seen. I mean, just throwing the ball into the fourth row. Not good. I’d be playing Pete Nance the rest of the way.
Grade: D
Doc Rivers
Overall, I have to give Doc credit for the way the team played through three quarters. They were crisp, sharp, but just not as talented. That said, the decision to go back to Jericho Sims was an odd one. I don’t love how he played Rollins nearly 40 minutes; it seems somewhat dangerous.
Grade: B-
Garbage time: Andre Jackson Jr., Amir Coffey, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Pete nance
Inactive: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Alex Antetokounmpo, Kevin Porter Jr., Taurean Prince
Bonus Bucks Bits
- I thought this quote from Kyle Kuzma about Myles Turner was… illuminating: “he hasn’t really been involved this year from an offensive perspective, outside of typical kick-out threes.”
- Doc thought their defence let them down, calling it “awful.” Said they weren’t physical enough, referring to them having just 12 fouls for the game. Said he loved what they did on offence.
- Doc said he opted to go with Jericho Sims because they needed more size against the Philly front line. I guess that makes sense in theory, but the 76ers had 15 O-boards and 31 second-chance points. Now, would that have been worse with Pete Nance? We don’t know. Sims had just 1 rebound, though.
- I mentioned it above, but Ryan Rollins gets no respect from the refs. He seems to get hit a lot, and you’re expecting them to call a foul, and then there’s nothing.
- Tyrese Maxey is just so good, man. The league really missed on him in the draft. Joel Embiid and Paul George really turned back the clock in this one as well.
Up Next
The Bucks have a day off today and play tomorrow night at Washington, tipping off at 6:00 p.m. CST. Catch the game on Prime Video.
