 moved past Milwaukee (23-22) for sixth place in the Eastern Conference.Khris Middleton had 23 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists for the Bucks in their second straight loss. They were without top scorer Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was sitting out the first of two games to rest a sore right knee.Fellow starter Malcolm Brogdon (family matter) also wasn't available. Tony Snell (15 points) and Sterling Brown (14 points) moved into the lineup, and the Bucks rallied from 16 points down to tie it before fading in the fourth quarter.Antetokounmpo practiced Friday, but the Bucks announced Saturday morning that the two-time All-Star would be out until Friday against Brooklyn to ''manage'' his ailment. Knee pain also kept Antetokounmpo sidelined on Nov. 22 and Dec. 23.''Hopefully, after missing these two games, he doesn't have to miss any more,'' Bucks coach Jason Kidd said.Philadelphia was without its top two shooting guards. JJ Redick (cracked bone below his knee) is out at least a week and Jerryd Bayless (sore left wrist) didn't dress.Luwawu-Cabarrot, a French guard in his second NBA season, stepped into the starting lineup and made 3 of 5 3-pointers. His 3 capped a 13-0 run early in the fourth as Philadelphia built a 97-82 lead.The Sixers showed good depth early. Nine players scored in the first quarter, and they built a 53-37 lead before halftime.After committing just three first-half turnovers, the Sixers threw it away 11 times in the third, and Middleton and Eric Bledsoe (14 points on 5-of-18 shooting) helped the Bucks rally to tie it.Embiid responded with a dunk and a block on Bledsoe and a three-point play to end the third and give the Sixers an 84-80 lead.TIP-INSBucks: Brogdon is expected back Monday. ... Marshall Plumlee, signed to a two-way contact five days earlier, made an impact in his team debut. He had six points and six rebounds and started the fourth quarter ... Milwaukee plays the Sixers three more times, including at Philadelphia on April 11 to end the regular season.76ers: Rookie G Markelle Fultz participated in shootaround as he tries to regain his shooting form following a right shoulder injury. The No. 1 overall pick has missed 38 straight games. ... Simmons didn't attempt a 3-pointer for the 12th time in 13 games. He's 0 for 10 from long range. ... With the game in hand, fans turned their attention to Sunday's NFC championship game with several ''Eagles'' chants.UP NEXTBucks: Home vs. Phoenix on Monday night.76ers: At Memphis on Monday night.---More basketball: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball)
Jan 20, 2018 Newly minted All-Stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid will square off on Saturday, when Antetokounmpo's Milwaukee Bucks visit Embiid's Philadelphia 76ers.Both were named Eastern Conference starters on Thursday, Antetokounmpo after finishing second in balloting to Cleveland's LeBron James. Antetokounmpo, who also started last year, is the first Buck since Marques Johnson in 1979 and '80 to start consecutive years."I think it's a great honor," Bucks coach Jason Kidd told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "It's well-deserved not just by the vote -- he would be in the game no matter what. That just shows his popularity here in a small market of being one of the top vote-getters in the league. He's likable on and off the floor." Embiid is the first Sixer to be named an All-Star starter since Allen Iverson in 2006. He told Philly.com that he feels he is "blessed," and happily passed around credit to others."I think this is validation not only for me, but for the whole organization, especially after what we have been through for the last four years," Embiid told Philly.com. "So I'm not excited about myself. I'm excited for the whole city of Philadelphia and the fans world-wide." Embiid collected 26 points, 16 rebounds and six assists as the Sixers held off Boston 89-80 on Thursday night, Philadelphia's first victory over the East-leading Celtics in four attempts this season.Overall the Sixers have won six of seven games to improve to 21-20, the first time they have been over .500 at the season's midpoint since 2005-06.The Bucks (23-21) find themselves in a bit of a tailspin, having lost three of four despite Antetokounmpo's all-around brilliance. He had 22 points, 10 rebounds and six assists Wednesday against Miami, but the Heat prevailed 106-101 behind Hassan Whiteside's 27-point, 13-rebound, six-block performance."He does care, he does want to win," Milwaukee coach Jason Kidd said of Antetokounmpo, per the Journal Sentinel. "I think he said it before ... that he's going to be judged on winning. The great ones are. When you look at LeBron and Kobe (Bryant) and Michael (Jordan), the great ones are all judged on winning -- not how much money they've made, but winning." The Bucks have been without forward Jabari Parker (left knee surgery) all season, but he is expected to return early in February.Forward Mirza Teletovic has missed all but 10 games after undergoing surgery on his right knee and being diagnosed with blood clots in both lungs. It is unclear as to when he might return.Philadelphia guard Markelle Fultz, the first overall pick in last summer's draft, has missed all but four games because of a shoulder injury. While there is no timetable for his return, he has ramped up his workouts in recent weeks.Sixers guard J. J. Redick also missed the Boston game because of a leg injury, and will be out at least 10 days. Backup forward Richaun Holmes has been held out of the last two games because of illness and his status for Saturday's game is unknown.
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