MILWAUKEE � When you talk to people around the NBA about Philadelphia 76ers rookie Joel Embiid and Milwaukee's "Greek Freak," Giannis Antetokounmpo, the fourth-year forward, the praise is very similar.
"He's a great story, from where he started and just understanding the work that he's put in. Each day and each game he gets better. He's got a great personality; he's very charming. He loves to play the game and he wants to be great. He is the total package. He plays at both ends. He wants to be great, and he's put in the work to do that."
That was Milwaukee Bucks coach Jason Kidd talking about Antetokounmpo, but it very well could have been Brett Brown praising Embiid. The two are destined to be superstars in the league.
Antetokounmpo lit up the 76ers for 21 points in the first half Monday, but was saddled with foul trouble for the whole second half and finished with just 23. Embiid, after a sluggish first half, aggressively led the Sixers in a second half when they outscored the Bucks by 67-50 on the way to a 113-104 win, their sixth victory in eight games.
Embiid finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks as the Sixers played without Nerlens Noel (sprained ankle), T.J. McConnell (sprained wrist) and Richaun Holmes (assigned to Delaware 87ers).
The first-half outburst by Antetokounmpo helped Milwaukee jump to a 54-46 lead at the half. The Sixers, however, with much more spirited play from Embiid, scored the first seven points of the third quarter to get back in the game. A short time later, Antetokounmpo was called for his fourth foul and had to go to the bench. The Sixers ended the quarter shooting 11-for-21 and outscoring the Bucks by 35-24 to take an 81-78 lead into the final quarter, after Embiid swatted a layup attempt by Matthew Dellavedova at the buzzer.
Dario Saric scored 17 off the bench for the Sixers, who improved to 13-26. Ersan Ilyasova scored 12 points, Robert Covington and Gerald Henderson each added 11, and Sergio Rodriguez, Jahlil Okafor and Chasson Randle had 10 apiece.
"He's playing at a very high level," Kidd said of Embiid. "To be away from the game and the minutes that he's playing, he is playing at a very high level. He causes a lot of problems. He can play inside and out, and you can see that he understands how to play the game the right way."
Jabari Parker scored 23 for the Bucks, who fell to 20-20 in losing for the fourth time in six games.
