Tag: Giannis Antetokounmpo

Joel Embiid reacts to Jimmy Butler, wild ending of Heat win over Bucks

Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid reacts to Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat upsetting the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Philadelphia 76ers may be out of the bubble after being bounced early by the Boston Celtics in the playoffs, but that does not mean that they are going to mentally check out from the rest of the playoffs.

There are still some interesting matchups left in the playoffs and one of them includes a former Sixer in the form of Jimmy Butler. On Wednesday night, Butler stepped to the line with zero seconds showing on the clock and he drilled them both to give the Miami Heat a 116-114 win over the Milwaukee Bucks to take a 2-0 series lead.

The ending to the game was wild as Heat guard Goran Dragic was called for a very questionable foul while Bucks All-Star Khris Middleton was shooting a triple. Middleton made all three to tie the game at 114. It was a call that Sixers big man Joel Embiid was shocked about.

On the other end, Butler was then fouled at the buzzer by Giannis Antetokounmpo on another very questionable call. It was another shocking call as the officials seemed to be making up for the call on the other end. Embiid then got a kick out of that one.

Butler then stepped up to drill the free throws and Embiid then made a reference to soccer star Neymar Jr. making a penalty kick for the win. Neymar Jr. is a friend of Butler’s and both Butler and Embiid are avid soccer fans.

It was an absolute wild ending, but the 5 seed Heat now have the top seed Bucks on the ropes in Round 2 of the playoffs. Antetokounmpo and the rest of the Bucks have to dig deep and get it done in Game 3. [lawrence-related id=37373,37370,37366]

Ben Simmons not named finalist for 2020 Defensive Player of the Year

Philadelphia 76ers forward Ben Simmons is not among the Defensive Player of the Year finalists.

Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Ben Simmons is currently dealing with a serious knee issue, but his work on the defensive end prior to the injury cannot be ignored.

Simmons leads the league in steals total steals and steals per game despite missing a lot of time with injuries and he has put the clamps on some of the game’s top scorers. All of that while also being a perimeter defender should have at least made him a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year in 2020.

However, the NBA did not see it that way and they did not have amongst the finalists. The three 2020 Defensive Player of the Year candidates are Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, and Rudy Gobert.

It is disappointing to not see Simmons’ name on this list. Not that there is anything wrong with the three choices, those three are some of the top defensive players in the league as well, but Simmons has been absolutely incredible on that end all season. He probably would not have won it, but he should have received some consideration at the very least. [lawrence-related id=36489,36470,36462]

Sixers history lesson: Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo go toe-to-toe

We take a look back at Joel Embiid leading the Philadelphia 76ers past the Milwaukee Bucks.

The outbreak of COVID-19 may have put the NBA season on hold, but it does give everybody an opportunity to kind of breathe and look into the history of a team.

Continuing our look into the history of the Philadelphia 76ers, we focus on a big matchup in Milwaukee. The Sixers, fully healthy, went into Milwaukee to take on Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks and it did not disappoint. The future league MVP and Joel Embiid delivered a big performance and it was a great performance on both sides.

March 17, 2019

The Sixers were still trying to find their footing. They had just acquired Tobias Harris from the Los Angeles Clippers and they were trying to figure out how things look with Jimmy Butler and Harris working together next to Embiid, Ben Simmons, and JJ Redick.

A matchup with the Bucks brought the best out of the group as Embiid dropped 40 points on 15-for-31 shooting with 15 rebounds and six assists. He did take 13 3-pointers, making four of them, so that was a bit of an eyesore, but Butler added 27 points as they were able to combat a career-high 52 points from Antetokounmpo. The Sixers were able to win it 130-125 at Fiserv Forum.

It was an impressive win for Philadelphia knocking off a Bucks team that entered with the best record in the NBA. The Sixers needed a big win to get their footing and their confidence and it was a huge win for them.

Embiid told reporters postgame:

They are the best team in the NBA right now, as far as record goes. No. 1 in our conference. I felt like we had to make a statement. We had to get this win.

Both of these teams would go on to make the playoffs, but they both fell victim to the eventual champion Toronto Raptors. Philadelphia, of course, fell to Toronto in Game 7 on the miracle shot by Kawhi Leonard while Milwaukee let a 2-0 lead slip away in the Eastern Conference Finals and falling to Toronto 4-2.

The hope for the 2019-20 season is that both teams will be able to match up in the playoffs, but with the season in jeopardy due to coronavirus, that will have to remain a hypothetical situation for the moment. The Bucks have taken two of the first three contests on the season with the two wins coming in Milwaukee. [lawrence-related id=27703,27699,27688]

Five biggest matchups remaining on Sixers’ schedule

Following their trip West, the Sixers are the No. 6 seed in the East. With the playoffs coming soon, Philadelphia needs every win it can get.

With the Philadelphia 76ers dropping to the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference following their loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, each game becomes more significant for Philadelphia.

As the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors are battling for the No. 2 spot in the conference behind the Milwaukee Bucks, the Sixers are in position to face the loser of the battle, should they finish the season where they currently sit. But if Philadelphia could inch its way back to the fifth seed and stay there, the Miami Heat would become the Sixers’ first-round opponent.

So, again, each game means even more for the Sixers. And some of those matchups are more notable than others — some of which will foster a playoff-game feel.

Here are the Sixers’ five biggest matchups left on their regular season schedule:

5. Pacers at home on March 14

Naturally, a game against the team closest to the Sixers in the standings is huge. By the time the two faceoff, Indiana could have a larger lead — or the Sixers could be the No. 5 team in the East.

The Sixers haven’t gotten a taste of Victor Oladipo yet this season. The guard still isn’t at full strength, but he’s done well against Philadelphia historically, averaging 19.4 points per game against them as opposed to his 17.3 points per game against all opponents throughout his career.

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