With the sixth seed locked up for Jason Kidd and his Milwaukee Bucks after the victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday night, Coach Kidd didn’t feel the need to take his foot off the gas pedal.
Michael Carter-Williams logged 30 minutes and scored 30 points on an 11-for-17 shooting performance and had five rebounds and five assists in Milwaukee’s win over the Philadelphia 76ers 107-97.
Khris Middleton played 32 minutes, but scored just nine points, while Giannis Antetokounmpo played 34 minutes and scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds. It was Carter-Williams’ old stomping grounds, and he played very comfortably in the first quarter by scoring 14 points.
“I thought he kept us in it early,” J-Kidd said of MCW. “He was the only one playing at a different level, a different speed.”
For as well as Carter-Williams started the game, the Bucks trailed by seven at the end of the first frame. With mostly bench players in the game, Milwaukee fell into a 14-point hole during the second before the starters re-entered and cut the deficit to 58-52 at the half.
Against a team like Philadelphia, which has only registered 18 wins all year, Milwaukee knew it had to turn up the defensive intensity in the second half, and that’s exactly what Jason’s squad did.
“I think the guys, talking to them at halftime, understand what we’ve done all year is play hard no matter what the circumstances are, and as a whole we didn’t play up to that in the first half,” Jason said. “Those guys came out in the second half and played like we played all year.”
The 76ers shot 56.4 percent (22-for-39) in the opening half, including 40 percent (6-or-15) from three-point range.
It was Sixer wingman Robert Covington who was hurting Milwaukee after scoring 18 of his 25 points in the first half. But after a conscious effort to limit his productivity and executing that on the defensive end of the floor, Milwaukee went on a run.
The Bucks had regained the lead in the third quarter behind Carter-Williams’ inspired play. He scored all 11 of Milwaukee’s points during the final 2:45 of the quarter, going 4-for-4 and 3-of-3 from the free throw line. His run included a dunk, layup and a pair of long jumpers, usually not his specialty.
“You could see he was playing at a very high level,” Coach Kidd said. “He’s been doing that for us the last couple of weeks.”
Milwaukee’s bench was inspired by Carter-William’s play and took over in the final frame. OJ Mayo scored 13 off the bench in 26 minutes, and he helped lead an 18-3 run in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.
Of the 18 points during the span, 17 were from Bucks’ reserves.
On top of Milwaukee’s shot making in the final period, they held the 76ers to just 24 percent shooting and caused 10 turnovers.
Without a doubt, the night belonged to Carter-Williams, in all facets. Having won NBA’s Rookie of the Year last season with Philadelphia, the Sixers fans welcomed him with applause and cheers, and played a small tribute video for MCW in the second quarter.
“I didn’t really see (the tribute video) at the time, or else I would have acknowledged the crowd,” Carter-Williams said. “It’s unbelievable. I’m thankful for it; I appreciate it. As much as they appreciate me, I appreciate them.”
Bucks fans should be smiling, because all indications are pointing to a high level of play for Carter-Williams as the team heads into the postseason. After struggling mightily following the trade, he is averaging 16.3 points, 6.3 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 2.7 steals while shooting 50.6% in seven games in April.
“He shot the ball extremely well, he ran the offense, he started the game off with a heck of a block and he wanted to get a win,” Coach Kidd said. “You could see he was playing at a very high level, but he’s been doing that for us for the last couple weeks.”
NEXT UP
Milwaukee’s next game is their last of the season, hosting the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night at BMO Harris Bradley Center.
The Celtics have been playing phenomenal basketball as of late, winning seven of their last 10 and clinching a playoff spot. The Celtics still have two games left on their schedule, and will be playing the Bucks on the back end of a back-to-back with the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night.
Tip off is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
