The Philadelphia 76ers won the final game of their regular season, beating the Bucks 126-106. They were paced by Tyrese Maxey (21 points), Quentin Grimes (20 points and five assists), and Justin Edwards (17 points) while Milwaukee got great efforts from A.J. Green (19 points and five rebounds) and Cormac Ryan (22 points and 10 rebounds).
The Sixers entered the night needing a win and help elsewhere to improve their playoff positioning, while Milwaukee rested key contributors in a season finale with little at stake.
The Bucks were trying to tank, but the Sixers were playing their normal rotation, except for Joel Embiid, to potentially move up in the standings based on the results of games against the Toronto Raptors and Orlando Magic. If Philly were to move out of the play-in, they would need to get a win against Milwaukee and losses by Orlando and Toronto.
The first quarter focused on getting the Sixers' offense into a rhythm, as they have really struggled recently, aside from a few games. Since his return, Tyrese Maxey has been struggling and somewhat passive offensively. His struggles continued in the first quarter of this game, starting out missing four of his first five shots with two turnovers.
On the other hand, Paul George kept up his offensive flow since his return from suspension. George scored 11 first-quarter points. They needed all of George’s points because the Bucks kept it competitive early, only trailing by three points at the end of the first quarter.
Andre Drummond came in mid-way through the first quarter and made his presence felt, especially early in the second quarter. His rebounding and scoring near the rim helped the Sixers build a seven-point lead. The Bucks stayed within striking distance with A.J. Green leading the way for Milwaukee. His shooting ability helped him score 19 first-half points and provided ample spacing for a team playing with few outside shooting options. Behind Green and Cormac Ryan, the Bucks took a 62-58 lead into halftime.
Philadelphia started the third quarter on an 8-2 run with Maxey being much more aggressive than he was in the first half. His 16 third-quarter points helped spark an offensive explosion that gave them some much-needed cushion. Not only did Maxey give them a scoring lift, but his confidence also bled into players like Kelly Oubre Jr., Andre Drummond, and Justin Edwards. The Sixers put up 38 points in the quarter, building an 18-point lead.
The fourth quarter was a mirror image of the third for the Sixers and Bucks. Milwaukee seemingly ran out of gas, only playing eight players in the game. Justin Edwards continued his good second half, and Quentin Grimes showed up offensively as well. Nick Nurse began emptying the bench with four minutes to play to keep their key guys as healthy as they can.
Next up for the Philadelphia 76ers is the play-in tournament, where they will host the Orlando Magic after their Sunday night loss against Boston.
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