Giannis Antetokounmpo shines with 33 points as the Bucks bounce back with easy victory over 76ers

Maybe there isn't anything to worry about with the Milwaukee Bucks.

After a 140-99 shellacking by the Boston Celtics on Thursday, there was debate about how much concern there should be for the Bucks heading into the final week of the regular season.

Milwaukee answered a lot of those questions by taking care of business against another powerhouse Eastern Conference team with a 117-104 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday night at Fiserv Forum.

BOX SCORE: Bucks 117, 76ers 104

The Bucks (56-22) remain in firm control of the top seeding in the East bracket with four games remaining, while the 76ers (51-27) seem headed for the No. 3 seeding.

The vibe in Milwaukee's locker room was back to being upbeat, with pulsating music turned up loud.

"I think it was just us answering the call," Bucks forward Bobby Portis said. "Obviously a tough game Thursday to get blown out at home. Obviously not the result that we really wanted.

"We didn't play our style of basketball. We were stuck in mud a little bit. But given 48 hours off, it was cool for everybody to get their legs under them a little bit. Spend some time with the loved ones - wife, kids, girlfriend, whatever it is. And then just be all business today. I think that was the biggest thing. I think everybody played with a sense of urgency and I think that showed out there on the court.'

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 33 points and pulled down 14 rebounds and had a big hand as the Bucks pulled away at the end of the third quarter.

Bucks were red-hot in first quarter

Milwaukee quickly erased any doubt that its cold shooting had carried over from the loss to the Celtics.

The Bucks made their first eight shots. Even when a shot did carom off the rim for the first time, on a driving layup attempt by Khris Middleton at the 6:49 mark, Bucks center Brook Lopez was there to corral the rebound and drop in a putback.

Middleton, in particular, was cooking with 10 points in the first quarter, including a nifty spin move in the paint for a layup.

Milwaukee made its first 5 three-pointers, with two of them coming from Middleton.

"We definitely played harder," Antetokounmpo said. "Played more together. Obviously we believe that we're a good team but at the end of the day we got to show it out there on the court.

"Good teams always try to bounce back after a loss like that (to the Celtics). I think that's what the team did tonight. We lost bad three days ago. Today we wanted to set the tone as a team. Move the ball, play together."

The Bucks finished the first quarter shooting 16 of 23 (69.6%) for a 41-26 advantage.

Bucks try to keep foot on the gas

Milwaukee wasn’t going to knock down 70% of its shots for the whole game.

The Bucks’ shooting regressed immediately at the start of the second quarter, and the 76ers got within 41-31 when James Harden knocked down a three-pointer.

The Bucks hit back hard. About five minutes later, Antetokounmpo drove into the paint and drew a double team before dropping a beautiful bounce pass to Lopez for a dunk that gave Milwaukee the lead at 61-41.

Portis was big off the bench, scoring nine of his 18 points in the second quarter, including an array of midrange floaters.

"Just being able to play off guys, read how the defense is playing me," Portis said. "They play different ways. If it's the five-man, he's in a drop so I'll probably pick and pop him.

"But here lately, there's been a lot of threes and fours on me, so just trying to slip behind the defense and get some easy ones and then once I see a couple go in the rim gets kind of large."

Bucks right ship in the third quarter

The 76ers opened the second half on a 9-2 run, causing some anxiety for the home fans who have seen a few subpar third quarters this season.

When Joel Embiid sank two free throws to cut the Bucks’ lead to 80-75 in the third quarter, it brought back some bad memories of March 4, when the 76ers rallied from a big deficit to end Milwaukee's 16-game winning streak.

The 76ers had another spurt to get within 89-82 at the 1:35 mark of the third quarter.

But Antetokounmpo reeled off seven straight points with a three-point play, a layup and a dunk that gave the Bucks a 96-82 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

After Jrue Holiday scored five points early in the fourth quarter, Antetokounmpo knocked in a shot to give the Bucks a 105-84 lead with just over nine minutes remaining and the Milwaukee cruised from there.

"The ball started sticking more," Antetokounmpo said. "We started playing a little more one-on-one. I think in the first half we were moving the ball, we were moving our bodies, we were setting screens, we were rolling and guys were going downhill.

"I think the ball stuck a little more in the third quarter that's why they were able to come back to the game. I feel like after that we found our rhythm, started moving the ball, taking good shots. Got some stops. We were able to get the separation that we had in the third quarter."

Bucks slow down Joel Embiid and James Harden

Beating the 76ers usually requires slowing down their pick-and-roll attack with Embiid and James Harden.

The last time the teams met, Harden finished with 38 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. On Sunday, thanks to some harassing defense by Holiday, Harden had 11 points, six assists and five turnovers.

"It takes a team effort," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "Obviously, Jrue takes that matchup a lot of the night.

"But Jae (Crowder) had some reps and Khris had some reps. Giannis. It's one of those things, Harden's going to have big nights. He's going to have big nights against us. Tonight, our effort was good. Jrue starts it and then I think a lot of guys behind him."

Embiid, Antetokounmpo and the Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic are the favorites for MVP and they are making their closing statements in the final week of the season.

Embiid finished with 28 points, but was inefficient with 11-for-25 shooting. Antetokounmpo shot 13 for 17.

"We certainly feel like Giannis is the MVP," Budenholzer said. "I think what our team is able to do, and we still have some work to do to have the best record in the league.

"But best player, best record. What he does at both ends of the court - the rebounding, the blocked shots, the defense, the guarding on the perimeter. He does everything. Playmakes, attacks, gets to the free-throw line. We feel like he's in the conversation or he should be the guy."

What is the Bucks’ magic number?

3 The “magic number” is the combination of Bucks win and Celtics losses. With the loss Thursday, the Bucks do not have the tiebreaker so they must finish with one more win than Boston.

Five numbers

3 Personal fouls on Harden in the first half after Budenholzer challenged a foul on Middleton late in the second quarter and it was overturned into an offensive foul by Harden.

3 Steals by Holiday in the first half

0 Minutes for Bucks wing Pat Connaughton in the first half, the second consecutive game that has happened

7,000 Harden reached that milestone for career assists in the third quarter

20 Minutes played by Grayson Allen before the Bucks shooting guard left the game with an injury to his right ankle in the third quarter

Play of the game is Giannis Antetokounmpo's fake and dunk against James Harden

Harden and Antetokounmpo have had some back-and-forth barbs over the years, with the 76ers star saying once that all Antetokounmpo did was "run and dunk." Antetokounmpo showed his moves off early in the fourth quarter when he got Harden in the air on a pump fake and then went to the rim for a highlight dunk.

Video of the game is Jrue Holiday’s steal and Giannis Antetokounmpo’s dunk

Holiday was anticipating a lot of Harden’s moves in the first half. In the second quarter, Holiday saw Harden lining up a behind-the-back pass, and the Bucks guard jumped the lane to intercept the ball. Holiday was heading the other way for a breakaway layup, but he spotted a streaking Antetokounmpo and fed the Bucks star for a crowd-pleasing dunk.

Bucks injury report

Meyers Leonard (left calf soreness), out

Who do the Bucks play next?

The final week of the regular season continues on Tuesday against the Wizards at Capital One Arena in Washington. In their last meeting, Antetokounmpo scored 23 points as the Bucks earned a 117-111 victory at Capital One Arena on March 5.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bucks beat 76ers 117-104 at Fiserv Forum