The Philadelphia 76ers took down the Milwaukee Bucks on the road, picking up their third straight victory.
The Philadelphia 76ers have now won three straight games after a solid 116-101 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night. While this was a somewhat unusual game for the Sixers, it was great to see them get ahead early and maintain a double-digit lead throughout the rest of the game.
Tyrese Maxey had 12 points, finishing with less than 20 points for the first time this season, but he was incredible on the defensive end with four steals and a block, and frankly didn't need to contribute much offensively. Quentin Grimes led the team in scoring with 22 points, and Paul George trailed closely with 20.
Jabari Walker also had quite the game, scoring 18 points, 16 of which were in the first half. These were just three of the six players to score at least 10 points tonight, as VJ Edgecombe, Jared McCain, and Adem Bona also contributed well offensively.
This was one of the best team wins that we've seen all season, which was good to see after a late-game collapse against the Golden State Warriors. Things did get a little rocky for the Sixers in the fourth quarter, but they managed to hold their lead firm and finish the game with a 15-point lead.
The Bucks, though without Giannis Antetokounmpo, aren't a bad team by any means and it was encouraging to see Philly keep their foot on the gas and not let them come back in this game. Milwaukee was actually coming off an impressive victory over the Detroit Pistons, who are the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
With this victory, the Sixers advanced to 13-9 on the season, and they are now just 4.5 games back from the top seed. They are also just a half-game behind the Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics, and Miami Heat, meaning that they still have a great shot at finishing as a top team in the conference.
If there was ever a time to go on a huge run, it's now, as most of the Eastern Conference has been fairly inconsistent to start the year. Being able to solidify themselves as a top-five team in the conference early would be great for playoff implications, and that could start now.
Philly's next matchup is with the Los Angeles Lakers, who have been great this season, but they're coming off a 21-point loss to the Celtics, showing that they're not unstoppable. Winning a fourth-straight game would be huge in itself, but doing so against a really solid team would be extremely encouraging. They also play the 5-18 Indiana Pacers in the game after, so they would have a good chance to win five straight. Let's hope that this comes into fruition, and that in a few days we're talking about a top 3-4 team in the East.