James Harden and Embiid sublime, 76ers break Milwaukee Bucks' unbeaten streak of 16 games
A few hours before the Philadelphia 76ers vs Milwaukee Bucks, Philly head coach Doc Rivers mentioned that there is no safe lead in the NBA.
"The lead story is no longer as important to the outcome of the game as it used to be because with a momentary lack of concentration or a few failed shots, the advantage will disappear," the Philadelphia 76ers head coach said.
These shares turned out to be true in the match that followed. From being 18 points behind in the second half, the Sixers still completed a comeback against the Milwaukee Bucks to win with a score of 133-130.
This result helped Joel Embiid and his teammates cut off the biggest unbeaten streak this season, which lasted to 16 games of the Milwaukee Bucks. This is the second-best number in the past three years, second only to the Phoenix Suns' 21-match winning streak in the 2020-21 season.
“Hopefully this win will give us the spirit to keep fighting. Everyone mentioned that the 76ers have the hardest schedule from now until the end of the Regular Season, so today's win means a lot," Harden shared.
It was Harden who was the Philadelphia 76ers' best player, owning the game with the most points from the beginning of the color with 38 points, 10 assists and 9 rebounds. Particularly in the 4th half, he scored 19 points including the "clutch" throw in the last minute of the game.
“I am extremely comfortable in situations like that, whether it is scoring points, creating assists or opening opportunities for teammates. I practiced a lot and I believe in my ability," James said in an interview after the season-high match of 39 points.
An interesting statistic is that the Philadelphia 76ers scored 48 points in the last half alone. This number is equal to the points the whole team scored in the first two innings.
Even more impressive when Harden and his teammates got points in 10 out of 11 late-game advances. The only situation in which the Sixers were empty-handed was a 5-second violation of the rule of not putting the ball on the field.
Although the team is leading and is still under great psychological pressure with 3 defeats in the last 4 matches, Philly has changed in this important match.
They played calmly and confidently, attacking well and defending effectively. The Milwaukee Bucks had no shortage of good shots, but the 76ers were the more solid team at the decisive moment.
“It shows how we have grown over the years. The Bucks have a reputation for being stubborn and often win this way. Today it was our turn to do the same,” said coach Doc Rivers.
