Wow...Wow...Wow. What did we just watch? One minute we are watching Grayson Allen score 20 points in one quarter, next we are watching James harden and Joel Embiid take over and take the Bucks down to hand them their first loss in 17 games.
Read down below for a quarter by quarter breakdown and key takeaways from tonights game!
First Quarter
• Sixers and Bucks started the game going back and forth, going shot for shot. Giannis is giving PJ Tucker a lot of room to take 3's, Giannis didn't take Tucker as a 3 point threat tonight.
• Its not called "Curry range" anymore...We now refer to deep 3's as "Harden range" because of how efficient Harden has been on deep 3's in the last few weeks.
• Doc Rivers is giving some early first quarter minutes to Georges Niang. I don't see the reasoning for it when the matchup clearly isn't for him in this game. Bobby Portis matched up with Niang is a huge advantage for the Bucks.
• Giannis Antetokounmpo has one of the best whistles in the league. There is simply nothing Paul Reed can do when he gets a clean block on Giannis and a foul is called. A very frustrating few possessions.
Second Quarter
• I am not sure of what is going on with the refs and James Harden, but the officials have been doing a poor job of officiating James Harden in the recent weeks. The whistles get swallowed too often and it's frustrating as a fan to watch this happen. There comes a time where this guy deserve to get calls.
• PJ Tucker will be one of the most important players to the Sixers playoff success. He had a few defensive possessions in this quarter that made you sit back and say "wow".
• What was a great James Harden first quarter turned into a poor Harden second quarter. He had trouble driving and finishing at the rim. He ended the half with 15 points shooting 5-16 from the field.
• We didn't really see a dominant first half from Joel Embiid which you always hate to see. He ended the first half with 12 points on 5-11 shooting.
Third Quarter
• Coming into this quarter, Tobias Harris was announced out with a calf injury so the Sixers are going to roll with more Georges Niang minutes
• The Sixers started off the third quarter with a bit of momentum rooted from Harden and Maxey making some tough buckets and 3's.
• The Sixers got absolutely embarrassed by Grayson Allen in the third quarter. The Bucks got whatever they wanted from the 3 point line. Allen had 20(!!) points in the third quarter. He went into the half with zero points scored.
• I sent out a tweet during the quarter with a suggestion for the Sixers. It was the most simple defensive adjustment in the world. Maybe they should stop leaving 40% 3 point shooters wide open.
Fourth Quarter
• Oh would you look at that! Staggering Harden and Embiid's minutes would lead to a positive stretch. Who would've thought? Doc Rivers should be doing this on a nightly basis, and if he doesn't make this happen in the playoffs, this team will lose.
• Harden and Paul Reed came out aggressive right away and got the Bucks 18 point lead down all the way to a 1 point game.
• I don't quite understand why Doc Rivers waits so long to put Embiid back into the game in the 4th quarter, especially when the bench lineup makes it a competitive game.
• Interesting thing to take note of, but Jalen McDaniels is getting crunch time minutes over De'Anthony Melton. He was fouled shooting a three pointer, but McDaniels hit all 3 clutch free throws.
• I don't know how it's happening, but the Sixers managed to get a four point lead with just 25 seconds left to go in the game on the brink of handing the Bucks their first loss in 17 games.
Key Takeaways
• What happened to Doc Rivers staggering Embiid and Harden's minutes? Rivers Had both of the Sixers star players on the bench multiple times throughout this game. He did do a good job of staggering in the fourth quarter. Hopefully can keep it up especially because of how inconsistent he is with the things he says.
• Why did Doc Rivers have Joel Embiid guarding Brook Lopez for most of the game? I feel like it would've been a better idea to have someone else guard the stretch big and have Embiid be the roaming defender/cover Giannis. Just something to take note of.
• This was an exact copy of the game vs the Dallas Mavericks. We get blown out in the third quarter then have an impossible comeback, only this time around we finished the comeback and came out with a win.
• Giannis having the best whistle in the NBA has to be one of the most frustrating things to watch. You feel like as a team you did a pretty good job defensively but you get a ghost foul for no reason at all.
• Has Georges Niang found his shot again? It seems he might have with 16 points and shooting 5-6 from long range. We've all been critical on Niang lately but if he can give the team this kind of production, it will be a huge factor into a deep playoff run.
• This team just does not quit. Its insane when you think about all of the comebacks they've made this year. The Sixers lead the league in 15+ point second half comebacks, which is pretty insane because the Sixers are the team known for blowing leads, not having insane comebacks.
• With Harris and Tucker out for the entire second half, you pretty much chalked this one up as a loss. Tucker can be your most important defender at many times during big games. We surely struggled without him but managed to pull it together.
• Wow...Talk about a duo. Joel Embiid and James harden are the second pair of Sixers teammates ever to post 30 points and 10 assists in the same game. Sometimes you need that Houston Harden kind of game and that's exactly what we got tonight. Throw Maxey into this conversation to make it a dynamic trio, as the three combined for 95 points, 18 rebounds, 20 assists.
• This game means everything for the Sixers, and the fans going forward. This could be the momentum booster that helps us rise up and be the most unstoppable team in the NBA. I am just completely blown away from what I saw tonight.