Bucks Zone

The Milwaukee Bucks handle the Philadelphia Sixers to inch closer to securing the #1 record

The Milwaukee Bucks are are very much in the hunt for the top seed in the East.

Matthew Dugandzic

© Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
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The Milwaukee Bucks inched closer to securing the top seed in the Eastern Conference after they pulled off a 117-104 victory over the Philadelphia Sixers on Sunday night.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 33 points, along with 14 rebounds and six assists to help the Bucks stretch their NBA-best record to 56-22.

Tight race for the top seed

Milwaukee holds a two-game lead over the Boston Celtics (54-24), with the two squads both having four games left.

The Celtics won the season series with the Bucks and have the tiebreaker.

In keeping their hopes of clinching the top seed in the East alive, the Bucks also avenged their 133-130 loss to the Sixers on March 2nd. That loss ended Milwaukee's 16-game win streak, which is by far the season's longest winning streak.

Milwaukee came into the match reeling from a 140-99 home loss to Boston but was razor-sharp against Philadelphia as they never trailed throughout the game.

"I thought they just kicked our butt," said 76ers coach Doc Rivers. "They were more aggressive, they were prepared. They beat us all the way around."

Brook Lopez added 21 points, Khris Middleton had 19, and Jrue Holiday and Bobby Portis each added 18.

Tyrese Maxey paced the Sixers with 29 points, while Joel Embiid finished with 28.

Hot start

The Bucks took control of the match by making their first eight field goal attempts and 12 of their first 13.

The hot start allowed the Bucks to lead by as many as 20 points in the first half before they settled for a 69-53 lead at the turn.

Philadelphia came up with a big run in the third period and threatened within 73-77 with 4:16 left in the quarter.

Milwaukee regrouped and ended the third strong to take a sizable 96-82 lead going into the final stanza, where they would finish the job.

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.