Bucks Shot Down in Stretch

With nine games and less than two weeks remaining in the regular season, and the Sixers post-season fate very much up in the air, the Milwaukee Bucks—another team that shouldn’t have been able to match up with them—came to town last night.

They nearly left with something to smile about, holding as much as a 13-point first half lead before the Sixers finally got down to business. Facing the team which impacted their season most--since Elton Brand's season-ending shoulder injury occurred when he collided with Milwaukee's Luc Mbah a Moute and dislocated his shoulder--they came up huge when it mattered most. With the game hanging in the balance tied inside six minutes, the Sixers proceeded to run off 10 straight points and never look back enroute to a 105-95 win that improved their record to 39-35. <

Lou Williams came off the bench to score 21 points and lead a balanced attack, as the Sixers nudged ½ game ahead of idle Miami (39-36) for the coveted No. 5 playoff spot—meaning they’d avoid playing either Boston or Orlando in the opening round. Andre Iguodala followed with 20, while Andre Miller scored 18 and handed out 11 assists and sixth man Maurice Speights added 14.

The Bucks, meanwhile, placed six men in double figures, topped by Ramon Sessions with 18 and 10 assists.Richard Jefferson (17) and Charlie Bell (14) came next for Scott Skiles’ team.<

Milwaukee, featuring a roster that represents 3/4 of the NCAA's Final Four--forwards Charlie Villanueva (Connecticut) and Malik Allen (Villanova), along with guard Charlie Bell (Michigan State), plus head coach Skiles (Michigan State) and assistant Joe Wolf (North Carolina), is mathematically alive for the playoffs at 32-45. But that's about it.<

Besides needing a bunch of wins, the Bucks would need a collapse from not only the 36-40 Bulls, currently No.8, but also from Charlotte (34-41) and Indiana (32-43). That's simply asking for too much help. <

But it didn’t stop them from going after the Sixers, playing for the first time since power forward Thaddeus Young—who had scored at least 20 points in seven straight games—went down with a severe ankle sprain that will sideline him 2-3 weeks. In the beginning, though, it was the Reggie Evans show for the Sixers, the new starting power forward erupting for nine points—just three off his season’s high—as Philadelphia surged to an early 13-7 lead. But the Bucks struck right back, going on an 8-0 run to go ahead, 15-13.

They maintained through most of the period, before rookie Joe Alexander fouled Iguodala shooting from 3-point range,. When Iguodala hit two-of-three, it was tied 24-24 after one.<

Milwaukee quickly jumped back on top, 28-24, to start the second, then pushed it to 41-30 on Luke Ridnour’s 3-pointer.and a basket by Dan Gadzuric. Eventually, the margin would reach 52-39 on Sessions’ free throws , before 3-pointers by Williams and Donyell Marshall and Iguodala’s three-point play helped narrow the gap to 59-50 at the half.<

The Sixers continued to chip away in the third, Iguodala’s free throws bringing them within 61-59 at the 8:37 mark. Samuel Dalembert’s hook shot tied it moments later, completing a 19-6 run. <

Back stormed the Bucks, though, with six unanswered points, Sessions driving layup restoring a 67-61 advantage. Milwaukee managed to hold them off until the final minute when Speights free throws capped a late run, sending the Sixers to the fourth clinging to an 80-79 edge. <

After a frenetic 50-point third period, both teams tightened up defensively in the fourth. After four minutes the Sixers remained on top. 85-82. Just over two minutes later, Sessions’ three-point play knotted things,, 89-89.

That’s when the Sixers took charge, Speights hammering one down in the paint, followed by an Iguodala fast break slam and Miller’s free throws. When Williams came up with a loose ball and drove for a layup, suddenly the Sixers had their biggest lead of the night, 97-89 with 4:03 left. Speights knocked down a short jumper on their next possession to finish off a 10-0 run that essentially settled the issue, the Bucks managing just six more points the rest of the way.<