Milwaukee Bucks of America sensation, Giannis Adetokunbo (Antetokounmpo) was back in the bright spotlight of USA’s National Basketball Association (NBA), as he helped his side romp to another victory, which becomes their fourth in a row.
With ‘The Greek Freak’ back in stunning form, The Bucks held their lead throughout and at one point were up by 21, as Antetokounmpo finished with 27 for the hosts, as a strong start helped Milwaukee to a 124-117 win against top eastern rivals, Philadelphia 76ers.
The Nigerian-born Greece international had 27 points, 16 rebounds and six assists to lift The Bucks past The 76ers, while Khris Middleton added 24 points, Bobby Portis had 23 and Brook Lopez 16 for Milwaukee, who snapped a two-game losing streak.
Jrue Holiday had 12 points and 11 assists for The Bucks (36-22), who hit their first 10 shots of the game, bolted to a 20-point advantage and led 77-60 at halftime, then sank 13 of 21 first-half 3-point attempts and were led by Middleton with 21 points on 9-for-11 shooting.
Megasportsarena.com reports further that Joel Embiid paced The Sixers with 17 at the break, after which Philadelphia cut the deficit to 94-85 late in the third, but The Bucks finished strong and held a 108-87 advantage at the end of the quarter.
Portis scored Milwaukee’s last nine points on three 3-pointers to help build a 21-point lead and a late 14-1 run closed Philly within six, 123-117 in the waning seconds of the game that saw Ben Simmons absent with illness, thereby missing a third consecutive game, while reserve player, Furkan Korkmaz also sat out after tweaking his ankle Wednesday against Phoenix Suns.
Embiid led the Sixers (39-20) with 24 points, Shake Milton added 20 and Tobias Harris had 18 in his first game back after missing the previous three with knee soreness, while Seth Curry, Tyrese Maxey and Mike Scott contributed 11 each.
The Sixers have now dropped three in a row without Simmons. The Bucks, who made 20 treys on 40 attempts, will host the Sixers again on Saturday, while Dallas Mavericks opened a two-game series with a 115-110 win over Los Angeles Lakers, whose eight-time all-star Anthony Davis was rusty on his return from injury.
Luka Doncic had 30 points and nine rebounds for the Mavericks, who are seventh in the Western Conference but are now without Kristaps Porzingis after the Latvian sprained his left ankle in the third quarter.
Davis, returning after 30 games off the court with heel and right calf concerns, contributed just four points in the 17 minutes he played during the first half before moving to the bench for the defending champions.
Zion Williamson poured in 23 points in as many minutes in his first game against Orlando Magic, with New Orleans Pelicans dominating in a 135-100 display that snapped their four-game losing streak.
Phoenix Suns dropped to second spot in the west after being bested 99-86 by Boston Celtics, whose guard Kemba Walker matched his season-high score with 32 points which included five three-pointers.
San Antonio Spurs moved to ninth in the west and closer to the post-season after they broke a five-game losing streak at home with a 106-91 effort against Detroit Pistons, while Chicago Bulls went on a 13-0 run in the third quarter to get their third win in four games by sinking Charlotte Hornets 108-91.
