Antetokounmpo, Bucks too strong for Sixers
PHILADELPHIA -- Giannis Antetokounmpo collected 24 points, eight rebounds and five assists as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Philadelphia 76ers 112-98 on Monday night.
Tony Snell added 21 points for the Bucks, who led by as many as 27 en route to their third straight victory.
Malcolm Brodgon and Khris Middleton scored 13 points apiece for Milwaukee, which began the night 1.5 games out of the Eastern Conference's eighth and final spot.
Justin Anderson matched his career high of 19 points to pace the Sixers, who were without center Jahlil Okafor (sore right knee) for the second straight game.
Robert Covington had 15, and Dario Saric finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Shawn Long, making his NBA debut after signing a 10-day contract with Philadelphia earlier in the day, finished with 13 points and seven rebounds in 15 minutes off the bench. Long was averaging 20 points and 11 boards for the Delaware 87ers, the Sixers' affiliate in the NBA Development League.
The Bucks never trailed, breezing to a 12-2 lead out of the gate as Snell and Thon Maker nailed 3-pointers. The cushion grew to 27-15 on two free throws by Greg Monroe with 1:03 left in the first quarter, and 52-33 on Brodgon's layup with 4:03 remaining in the first half.
Milwaukee's advantage stood at 60-43 at the break, at which point Snell had 18 points and was 4-of-6 from 3-point range. The Bucks, who were 9-of-16 from the arc in all, shot 52.3 percent from the floor.
Covington, Saric and Anderson had seven points each for the Sixers.
Antetokounmpo notched six straight points in a 35-second burst in the third quarter, giving Milwaukee a 78-52 bulge. He had 12 points in the period, which ended with the Bucks up 91-68.
The Bucks took their biggest lead, 98-71, on Middleton's tip-in early in the fourth quarter.
NOTES: Sixers G Gerald Henderson started after missing the previous 2 1/2 games with a sore hip. He scored five points in just over 17 minutes. ... Philadelphia F Dario Saric is regarded as a prime candidate for Rookie of the Year, as is C Joel Embiid, who saw his season end after 31 games because of a knee injury. Milwaukee G Malcolm Brogdon is also in the conversation. "This is biased," Bucks coach Jason Kidd said, "but my guy, being a second-round pick, is playing at a very high level, running the team, understanding what it takes to win. Hopefully he's there at the end of the marathon and the race, that he wins Rookie of the Year." ... Sixers coach Brett Brown said before the game that it is too early to say whether Embiid or F Ben Simmons, who is out for the season with a broken foot, will play in the summer league. ... Milwaukee F Michael Beasley missed his fourth straight game with a hyperextended left knee. ... The Sixers announced before the game that C Jahlil Okafor would have his sore right knee examined Tuesday.