Detail Analysis: Three(3) Key Observations after Bucks smoke Sixers, win by 21 points in Philly

Milwaukee coasted to a 119-98 win at Wells Fargo Center.

The Bucks had a fun Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia.

The Sixers would surely prefer to forget the day.

Milwaukee cruised to a blowout victory at Wells Fargo Center, earning a 119-98 win.

By beating the team he led for the last three years, Doc Rivers moved to 5-7 as Milwaukee head coach. The Bucks are 37-21 overall.

As expected, Giannis Antetokounmpo (30 points, 12 rebounds, nine assists) and Damian Lillard (24 points, nine assists, seven boards) were the Bucks’ standouts. Malik Beasley added 20 points and shot 6 for 7 from three-point range.

Tyrese Maxey had 24 points and seven assists.

The Sixers’ Joel Embiid (left knee meniscus procedure), KJ Martin (right ankle impingement) and Robert Covington (left knee bone bruise) were sidelined. Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton was out with a left ankle sprain.

Reed surprisingly central in early going 

In an unlikely turn of events, Paul Reed was the Sixer who took the team’s most shots in the first quarter.

Reed began the game firing open jumpers without hesitation, which was not his norm under Rivers. Reed missed his first two but then knocked down a top-of-the-key three.

In addition to his jump shooting, Reed scored twice inside, competed hard on the glass, blocked a Lillard layup attempt, and brought his usual chaotic energy and hustle. Reed’s first run was not wholly positive, though. He committed two turnovers and got called for his second foul with 3:26 left in the first period.

With Reed sitting, Nurse played a small-ball lineup that had Nicolas Batum at center late in the first quarter. The Bucks attacked it well, getting Bobby Portis (15 first-half points) a couple of layups and preventing the Sixers’ guards from doing damage off the dribble.

Maxey was the Sixers’ best offensive player in the first half by a wide margin. He made sound decisions early, tallied six assists and no turnovers, and gave the Bucks a bona fide downhill driving threat to worry about.

However, the Sixers’ offensive level dipped severely once Maxey exited. The Sixers grew very perimeter-oriented and misfired on the good looks they managed to create.

The team shot 3 for 14 from three-point range in the first quarter. Kelly Oubre Jr. missed his first four field goals, including a ferocious dunk attempt over Bucks center Brook Lopez. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse was irate that no whistle blew on the play.

Bucks on fire in first half, Sixers slide downward

Nurse’s squad made an 11-0 run early in the second quarter that started with solid work from a three-guard lineup featuring Maxey, Kyle Lowry and De’Anthony Melton.

Patrick Beverley snapped the momentum of the team that traded him a couple of weeks ago, sinking a corner three-pointer. The Bucks built back a double-digit lead.

Milwaukee enjoyed an exceptionally hot shooting half, hitting 13 of 22 three-point tries over the first two quarters. Starting guards Lillard and Beasley drained three triples apiece.

On the Sixers’ side, neither of the team’s starting forwards provided anything in that department. Tobias Harris and Batum were each 0 for 1 from long distance in the first half.

As the Bucks’ lead swelled, the Sixers’ effort was not at all exemplary. Defensive rotations became a beat or two later, Milwaukee’s layups a bit more of a walk in the park. The half ended in fittingly sour fashion for the Sixers when Antetokounmpo tossed a full-court pass to Lopez, who scored at the rim just before the second-quarter buzzer to put the Bucks up 69-48.

Bad days for Harris and Hield

Reed was aggressive to start the third quarter, converting two layups, and the Sixers played better basketball as a team out of halftime.

They didn’t trend up for long. Reed picked up his fourth and fifth fouls and the Bucks were in the bonus for the majority of the third quarter. Mo Bamba was the sixth Sixer to come off the bench, receiving third-quarter center minutes.

The third period wasn’t entirely bleak for the Sixers, thanks in part to Batum making two three-pointers and Melton canning three. Maxey joined in on the long-distance shooting uptick, drilling a jumper late in the third that trimmed Milwaukee’s advantage to 93-82.

Playing his second game following an extended absence with a back injury, Melton had a nice day. He gladly accepted opportunities to let threes fly, posting 16 points, three rebounds and three assists in 18 minutes. The Sixers will hope he continues to gain comfort and keeps adding high-volume three-point shooting along with his variety of other tools.

Unfortunately for the Sixers, starters Harris and Hield each came up empty on jumpers early in the fourth. Both players had bad days. They combined to shoot 7 for 24 from the field, including two garbage-time makes by Hield.

Against a talented, multi-star opponent like the Bucks, that sort of showing from two key players will usually coincide with a loss. And with Embiid out, there tend to be fewer chances available to make wide-open shots and right the ship once a day has begun to spiral.

The Bucks’ victory Sunday clinched a season series win over the Sixers. The teams will meet once more on March 14 in Milwaukee.