MILWAUKEE — The 76ers needed someone to step up Saturday against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Three-time All-Star Ben Simmons missed his fourth straight game with what Doc Rivers said was the flu. MVP candidate Joel Embiid was a late scratch with right shoulder soreness. And this was a pivotal game for the Sixers and their Eastern Conference title hopes.
However, their supporting cast could not produce.
As a result, the Bucks rolled to a 132-94 victory at Fiserv Forum. The outcome was all but decided after three quarters. This was a game when both teams rested most of their starters in the final quarter.
Seth Curry paced the Sixers with 13 points on 5-for-11 shooting. However, he was the only starter who made any type of impact. Standout Tobias Harris had nine points, nine rebounds, two assists, and two blocks, but he made just 4 of 10 shots. This was the power forward’s second game back from missing three with a right knee bone bruise.
The Sixers were paced by rookie point guard Tyrese Maxey and Shake Milton, who scored 15 points apiece.
Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with game highs of 24 points, 14 rebounds, and seven assists.
The Sixers (39-21) extended their losing streak to a season-high four games. The conference’s second-place team dropped a game behind the first-place Brookyn Nets with 12 games remaining. The Sixers’ lead over the Bucks sank to 1 1/2 games.
Milwaukee (37-22) has swept the teams’ three series meetings and has won five straight dating back to last season. But by winning this year’s series, the Bucks hold the tiebreaker. That would enable Milwaukee to get the higher playoff seed if the teams finish with the same record.
Embiid had been listed as a starter 30 minutes before the game but was ruled out after the lineups were submitted. Teams can change starters up until tip-off.
Meanwhile, Rivers said Simmons’ illness is not related to the coronavirus. The Sixers were also without reserves Furkan Korkmaz (sprained right ankle) and Paul Reed (COVID-19 protocol).
For a while, the Sixers looked like a frustrated and poor-shooting squad.
Dwight Howard, Rivers, and Harris all received technical fouls for yapping at the referees in the second quarter. Then the team received a delay of game technical foul in the fourth.
For Howard, it marked his 15th technical foul of the season. The reserve center will receive a $5,000 fine and serve a one-game suspension after his next technical.
At least Howard had seven points on 3-for-5 shooting to go with eight rebounds in 14 minutes, 51 seconds in the first half. He finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
The Sixers’ starting lineup of Danny Green, Harris, Mike Scott, Curry, and George Hill combined to shoot 5 for 22, including 2 of 12 on 3-pointers, in the first half.
Despite that, they managed to hold the Bucks to 50 points after two quarters while scoring 40. The Sixers then opened the third quarter on a 14-5 run to close the gap to one point after Curry’s 3-pointer at the 8:36 mark.
After the Bucks responded with a 5-0 run, Curry hit another 3 with 7:19 left in the quarter to close the gap to three points (60-57). But then it looked like they stopped playing defense.
Milwaukee responded with a 15-0 run to break the game wide open at 75-57. Then the Bucks went on to take a 86-63 lead into the fourth quarter.
