On January 20th, Beijing time, there was a focus match in the Eastern Conference of the NBA's 2024-25 season regular season. The Philadelphia 76ers had to travel to Milwaukee for a back-to-back game and continue their away challenge against the Bucks. This was the second meeting between the two teams this season. In the previous matchup, the Bucks defeated the 76ers by 15 points, gaining a certain advantage. The 76ers have really performed poorly this season, becoming a laughingstock. During the offseason, they formed an anticipated "Big Three" combination. However, at this stage of the season, these three players with a combined salary exceeding $200 million are either plagued by injuries, playing intermittently, or having issues with coordination, resulting in an unsmooth offense. So far, the team has experienced three five-game losing streaks, with a total record of 15 wins and 25 losses, ranking 11th in the East.
In contrast, the Bucks were mired in the mud at the beginning of the season, much like the 76ers, with their ranking once at the bottom of the East. However, with the resurgence of Antetokounmpo and Lillard, the team's record has steadily climbed, and they have now achieved a three-game winning streak, with a total record of 23 wins and 17 losses, rising to fourth place in the East, which is a world apart from Philadelphia.
Before the game, American media ESPN also provided the latest win rate prediction for that day's match. The 76ers' win rate was only 13.3%, while the Bucks' win rate was as high as 86.7%. Obviously, American media leans more towards the Bucks being able to double-kill the 76ers. In terms of the starting lineup for this game, on the 76ers' side, Embiid, KJ-Martin, and McKean were unable to play, Lowry and Caleb-Martin would basically not participate, and it was uncertain whether George and Yabusele could play. Their starting five were: Maxi, Oubre, Gordon, Drummond, and Consell IV; On the Bucks' side, Antetokounmpo, Middleton, and Bosang were likely to play, while it was questionable whether AJ-Green and Jackson could play. The starting lineup was: Antetokounmpo, Lillard, Prince, Jackson, and Lopez.
The first quarter of the game began, with Oubre making a strong breakthrough under the basket, scoring the first points for the 76ers. Lopez also scored under the basket, quickly returning the favor. Little Jackson and Maxi engaged in a three-point shootout, with Antetokounmpo making several quick layups in succession. Lillard made a passing error, but Maxi successfully completed a dunk during his counterattack, and the scores alternated. Lillard finally made a long-range three-pointer, followed by Antetokounmpo's dunk in the restricted area, giving the Bucks a six-point lead, forcing the 76ers to call a timeout. After the timeout, the 76ers were defended into a 24-second violation, with no significant improvement in their offense, while Antetokounmpo continued to attack the basket and score. The first quarter ended with the Bucks leading the 76ers 30-21 by nine points.
In the first quarter, Antetokounmpo played the full 12 minutes, shooting seven times and hitting six, scoring 12 points, grabbing seven rebounds, and dishing out two assists.
In the second quarter, Maxi launched a counterattack, making two consecutive three-pointers. So far, he had shot ten times and hit five, scoring 13 points and leading the team to narrow the gap to just one point. Bona leaped from the free-throw line, making a powerful two-handed dunk over Antetokounmpo and Big Lo, which was quite violent and is sure to be included in today's top ten plays. Middleton lost the ball due to another error, while Maxi quickly counterattacked and scored another two points with a layup. Gordon made a long-range three-pointer, and the 76ers overtook the Bucks by five points. Antetokounmpo made a strong attack under the basket, completing a 2+1 and stabilizing the situation. Rollins and Middleton made consecutive three-pointers, and at halftime, the Bucks led the 76ers 59-50 by nine points again.
In the first half, Maxi alone scored 17 points for the 76ers, leading the team to keep up with the score. Looking at the Bucks, Antetokounmpo played 18 minutes, shooting nine times and hitting eight, making five of five free throws, totaling 19 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists; while Lillard shot six times and hit only one, scoring only five points.
After changing sides for the third quarter, Lillard made an error, and Adem-Bona took the opportunity to score with a counterattacking dunk. Immediately after, Maxi made a quick layup under the basket, and the 76ers successfully narrowed the gap to five points. However, Maxi's pass was intercepted, and Antetokounmpo quickly counterattacked to complete a dunk. Prince received the ball in a wide-open position and made a stable three-pointer, allowing the Bucks to expand their lead to ten points. Consell IV made two consecutive three-pointers, stabilizing the situation on the court. Maxi faced three defenders during his counterattack but still forced his way through for a reverse layup, scoring 26 points and narrowing the gap to six points again. Oubre made a forced three-pointer using a pick-and-roll, and Gary-Trent immediately responded with a three-pointer from the wing. Middleton finally made his signature mid-range jumper, and the third quarter ended with the Bucks still leading the 76ers 90-81 by nine points.
It is worth noting that Antetokounmpo's career total score reached 19,599 points, which allowed him to surpass Clifford Robinson, climbing to 54th on the all-time scoring list, achieving a new milestone.
In the decisive fourth quarter, Lillard made consecutive three-pointers. In this quarter, he shot three times and made all of them, quickly scoring eight points, allowing the Bucks to widen the gap to 13 points. Maxi and Oubre were not to be outdone, making consecutive three-pointers, slightly stabilizing the situation. But Lillard made another long-range three-pointer, followed by causing a three-point foul on Gordon, and then scored another eight points in succession, with the gap between the two teams reaching 16 points. At this point, the outcome of the game was no longer in doubt. Ultimately, the Bucks easily defeated the 76ers, sending their opponents to a sixth consecutive loss while also achieving a double-kill over the 76ers.
In the overall statistics, on the 76ers' side, Maxi shot 28 times and made 14, scoring 37 points, six rebounds, seven assists, and one steal, but it was to no avail; Oubre scored 17 points, four rebounds, and three assists; Gordon was in poor form, shooting eight times and making only three, scoring 10 points, one rebound, six assists, and one block. Looking at the Bucks, Antetokounmpo shot 17 times and made 13, scoring 34 points, 15 rebounds, and six assists; Lillard scored 25 points, five rebounds, four assists, and one steal, but made four turnovers, successfully reaching the 22,000-point milestone; Prince contributed 11 points, two rebounds, one assist, and one block; Middleton scored 13 points, five rebounds, and eight assists.