PHILADELPHIA — — Paul George scored 32 points, Joel Embiid scored 18 of his 29 points in the first quarter, and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks 139-122 on Tuesday night.
Tyrese Maxey added 22 points for the 76ers, who lost heavily to Charlotte the night before with Embiid and George out.
Myles Turner scored 31 points for Milwaukee, which lost its third straight game in six of seven games. The team announced that two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo was out with a right calf strain. will keep him on the sidelines indefinitely.
George hit back-to-back 3-pointers early in the fourth quarter, and the 76ers opened up an 11-point lead to start the game with an 18-point lead. among them Lost to the Hornets 130-93the Sixers entered the fourth with a 50-point lead.
Due to winter weather, the game in Charlotte was rescheduled for 3 p.m. ET, but the Sixers were not able to return to Philadelphia until after 1 a.m. Tuesday.
But the return of Embiid and George, who were sidelined Monday due to injury management, energized the Sixers. Maxey found Embiid for an alley-oop dunk late in the first half and jumped up and down with excitement as both players smiled at Bucks coach Doc Rivers, who led the Sixers for three seasons.
George made 11 of 21 shots, including 9 of 15 from 3-point range. Embiid had nine rebounds and five assists.
For the Bucks, Ryan Rollins had 24 points, Bobby Portis had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Kyle Kuzma also had 17 points.
In addition to Antetokounmpo, the Bucks were also without Kevin Porter Jr. (right oblique) and Taurean Prince (neck surgery). Philadelphia’s Quentin Grimes (right ankle sprain) was also out.
Bucks: Thursday night at Washington.
76ers: Host Sacramento on Thursday night.
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