Bucks scrap past 76ers, wrap up No. 1 in East

Playoff intensity showed itself from the opening tip at Philadelphia on Thursday as Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 45 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the Milwaukee Bucks' 128-122 comeback victory over the 76ers that clinched the best record in the Eastern Conference. Khris Middleton scored 22 points for the Bucks, who will enter the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time in franchise history. They were top seed in the Western Conference three times in their first six years of existence, the last in the 1973-74 season.

Joel Embiid recorded his second career triple-double with 34 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists in his return from a three-game absence caused by a left knee soreness. JJ Reddick added 29 points and Mike Scott scored 22 as the Sixers failed to solidify their hold on the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia (49-30) lost its third consecutive game and saw its lead over both Boston and Indiana slip to two games with three games remaining.

The Sixers took a 118-113 lead with 2:54 remaining on a 3-pointer from Scott, but George Hill helped lead the Bucks' rally with seven points in a 52-second stretch inside of two minutes to play. Hill gave the Bucks their first lead of the second half at 121-119 with 1:02 remaining after on a fast-break layup. The mood between two of the top three teams in the East was set early. Less than three minutes into the game, an on-court incident between the Bucks' Eric Bledsoe and the Sixers' Joel Embiid ended with Bledsoe's ejection because of two technical fouls.

Embiid and Scott also received technicals, with Bledsoe tossed after he threw the basketball into the midsection of Embiid. The Bucks took a 30-26 lead into the second quarter behind Antetokounmpo's 12 points and appeared as if they would head into halftime with the lead as well.

However, the Sixers erased a six-point deficit over the final 4:24 of the second quarter to take a 58-56 lead into halftime. The Sixers built their lead to as many as nine points in the third quarter and maintained their advantage until the fourth quarter, when the Bucks went on a 6-0 run to tie the game 104-104 with 6:27 to play on a free throw from Antetokounmpo.

Hill finished with 20 points while Sterling Brown scored 12 and D.J. Wilson had 11 for the Bucks. Ben Simmons had 13 assists for Philadelphia. By clinching the top spot in the East with three games to play, the Bucks have the opportunity to rest Antetokounmpo for at least a game. The All-Star missed Milwaukee's Sunday game at Atlanta because of a sore right ankle.

--Field Level Media

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