Joel Embiid, 76ers Expected Strong Bounce Back Effort From Bucks

Joel Embiid and the 76ers figured Milwaukee would play with a chip on their shoulder Sunday night.

Before the Milwaukee Bucks hosted the Philadelphia 76ers Sunday night, the top-seeded Bucks took on the second-seeded Boston Celtics. 

In what many viewed as a potential playoff matchup, the Celtics put out a statement performance. Boston’s star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown produced 70 points. 

The Celtics destroyed the Bucks 140-99. Milwaukee had a couple of days to stew on that loss before they hosted the third-seeded Sixers.

Following Philadelphia’s Friday night win over the Toronto Raptors, former Bucks forward PJ Tucker was under the belief the Sixers were going to get the Bucks’ best shot as they likely wanted to bounce back in a big way.

Unfortunately for the Sixers, they didn’t have a solution for the problem they ran into.

“Obviously, they got their a** kicked last game,” Sixers center Joel Embiid told reporters on Sunday, according to Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire. “They were sitting on it for two or three days.” 

The Bucks had an ideal response for their collapse against Boston. In the first 12 minutes of action against the Sixers, Milwaukee knocked down 70 percent of their shots. They led by as many as 18 points right out of the gate.

“I’m sure they want to come back and get back to themselves, and they did that,” Embiid continued. “The hot shooting to start the game, and they jumped on us, and we didn’t have any answer.”

The Bucks controlled the matchup from the start until the finish. Carrying a double-digit lead throughout the night, Philadelphia never tied the game or took the lead at all. Although they expected a tough response from the Bucks — the Sixers weren’t prepared to prevent the attack. 

Now, the Sixers land themselves in a position where they are expected to bounce back against a formidable opponent. 

With the second-seeded Celtics coming to South Philly on Tuesday, all eyes will be on the Sixers to see how they respond against a championship-caliber team after a blowout loss. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.