The Milwaukee Bucks overcame an ugly first half offensively to come back and defeat the Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia 76ers Wednesday night, 109-105 in overtime.
The first half was particularly awful for Milwaukee. Shooting just 26.7% (12-45) from the field helped cause their 45-31 halftime deficit, as did two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo’s four points before the intermission.
But after halftime, something clicked.
In the third quarter, the Bucks made 13-of-26 from the field, with Antetokounmpo hitting on four of his six shots taken. Trailing by nine after three quarters, the Bucks came out on fire in the final frame, tying the ballgame at 78-78 with 8:41 left; regulation would end on a Furkan Korkmaz three pointer with 1.1 seconds left to play.
In overtime, Antetokounmpo took over, making all four of his shots from the field and scoring 10 of his game high 32 points.
Milwaukee (26-14) pulls to within 1.5 games of Philadelphia (28-13) for first place in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks next play Saturday night at home against San Antonio. The two off days will get their new teammates acclimated.
Before Wednesday night’s game, the Bucks traded D.J. Wilson, D.J. Augustin, and Torrey Craig had been traded in separate deals. Wilson and Augustin head to Houston for P.J. Tucker and Rodions Kurucs. Draft picks were also swapped. Craig was sent to the Phoenix Suns for cash considerations.