You're listening to rewind, they'll listen back on press conferences, highlights and analysis from the seventy sixers previous game. A most tampy holiday indeed, as the seventy Sixers roll past the NBA's best team in terms of record one twenty one one O nine. The final score a Christmas Day victory for the seventy Sixers over the Bucks. I'm Brian Seltzer, how are you? This was a fun game today, so
much build up and anticipations surrounding it. Seventy Sixers a major tests they closed out the first third of their season. Based on how Brett Brown views it and man While a isolated regular season victory over the top team in the league does not a season make, it certainly showed today that the Sixers took this challenge seriously. Joel Embiid played like the best player on the floor and arguably the best player in the league. Thirty one points, eleven rebounds,
two block shots, three assists. He scored twenty three points in a dominant first half in which the seventy Sixers were leading by a hefty, hefty margin at the break as they held the Milwaukee Bucks for just forty eight points in the first half. The Sixers led sixty nine to forty eight. It was the most points scored on Milwaukee in a first half the season. The Sixers also scored thirty eight points on Milwaukee in the first quarter.
That was also the highest total that Milwaukee had given up this year when looking at first quarters, and Beads set the tone and the seventy Sixers were able to then playoff and around him. Josh Richardson phenomenal eighteen points, four three pointers, five rebounds, four assists. Tobias Harris another exceptional game, twenty two points, very efficient eight of sixteen would have about five of seven from three point territory
four Tobias Harris. Ben Simmons fifteen points, fourteen assists, seven rebounds. He also had a couple noteworthy steals when the seventy Sixers were in a portion of the game where they were seasoned control. The Sixers led by as much as one nine in this one. In the first half, they were up by twenty one. Again, that biggest lead was coming at the break. So in this one, the Sixers you could tell they had the date on the calendar circle.
They came out and performed accordingly, and while yes, there's still a long way to go, two thirds of the season left and three more matchups against the Milwaukee Bucks, including one in the final week of the regular season, that could ultimately be a little bit more indicative of where these teams stack up going into the postseason, which is the time of year that both clubs have their
eyes looking at. Today was great and it has to be most reassuring, especially when you consider some of the competition. The seventy Sixers have played and played well again, so you can put the win over Boston in this category. Now, the win over the Bucks went at home versus the Toronto Raptors and a great effort against the Miami Heats going back a couple of weeks ago, seventy Sixers beat the Bucks one twenty one to one on nine for as good as Dwell and beats numbers looked on the surface,
his defense on Janis was awesome. I don't know. Kupo held to eighteen points on eight of twenty seven shooting.
He was oh for seven from three point territory. Chris Middleton did score thirty one, but with Joel leading the way on Jannis do Acupo for the bulk of the game, especially when Joel was on the court, he was terrific, kept Jannis in front of him, locked down in front of the rim, protected that thing with all of his strength and muscle and might just a great effort from Joel Embiid rising through the occasion, as we have seen him do against some of the top competition in the NBA.
Seventy Sixers win their third in a row. They're now twenty three and ten on the season. Milwaukee loses for just the fifth time. Their record stands at twenty seven and five. Seventy Sixers roll passed in Milwaukee Bucks one twenty one to one O nine. I'm Brian Seltzer. Tom mc ginnis called this one today a great matinee win for the seventy sixers, hosting their first Christmas Day game since nineteen eighty eight. Tom, I think this is a game where the final score perhaps not quite as reflective
of the way the majority of this game went. Milwaukee out scored the seventy six Ers by fifteen and the fourth quarter, but by the end of the third it was one hundred and seventy three. The building was rock and Joel Embiid was playing like he was arguably the best player in the league. This was just a great win for the seventy six ers, where across the board they out did the Milwaukee Bucks in just about every way, right, they shot lights out Holiday hoops. Boy, that was an
electric atmosphere. And you know, Tobias Harris shared with his post game that they had this game circled and how couldn't they in that it's their first matchup with Milwaukee. The Bucks have been the cream of the crop in the NBA. You come in with the MVP and just the way they've torn through their first thirty plus games with that record, And it was Joel with the shooting.
You know, I don't think I'm giving away State secrets here, but after the team shot around, Joel stayed out there and he works with Chris Bap and Joel there's actually like even a Milwaukee coach, and Joel's like, I'm gonna I'm gonna go eight for twelve from three tonight, and
he came close, and he really did. And when he's not shooting the three, he's able to lift the defender in many cases, Robin Lopez off the floor and able to get into the lane with the dribble, and then he's so he's got such a great touch and around that eighteen footmark or just outside the elbows, he's nearly flawless with those face up shots. And he was really good.
But then I thought Josh Richardson and the point was made during the press conference with Coach Brown about their two man game and pick and roll, and you know, Brett Brown said the phrase, and I've never really heard it adapted to describing a player, but he said, he's got wiggle and that's so he is. He kind of snakes around the defense. And then to me, he's got a little Oklahoma soon or toughness too, and that he'll
make a field goal with the defender being aggressive. And you know, he told us early in the year it's sometimes it's not pretty, but he can score. And he was as good offensively as he's been, including maybe even that Miami game. You'd throw in there for Josh to buy us again filling it up, and then timely three point shooting in the second half by Burkon. I thought Ben was dominant at times. That one move, that eurostep
move that he made, he was phenomenal. He made some difficult running hook shots against that tall defense with Lopez and Jannis, and then the Sixers defense against the data Kompo o for seven from three. The combination of Horford and and Bid did a tremendous job on him, and the Sixers were the better team today. And again, there's two more matchups in this series. They'll be out in Wisconsin and but this was just terrific. I mean a markim.
Everybody sensed how special it was to be playing here in Philadelphia on Christmas Day and then to perform like that for the ball club was really neat. Seventy Sixers over the Bucks. They'd take around one of four one twenty one, two, one oh nine. Let's get into the defense on Jannis on a Kompo, you could say he was very normal today, Tom offensively perhaps less than normal eight for twenty seven from the floor, over seven from three, eighteen points. Dwell Embiid had him from the start of
the game. We saw this in the big win the Sixers had last year at Milwaukee for the first time. Brett Brown went back to it again today and jannest he seemed flummixed and frustrated, like he tried multiple times to load up like a battering ram to try and break down the wall of him. Bead just didn't happen. And the loading up is him taking that dribble from you know, darn Year a half court or certainly well beyond the three point arc and three large dribbles for
mankind those strides into the lane and he missed. I mean, the Sixers defended him well, but he did miss some close range shots that he's been making throughout the last two or three years of his career. But I thought Joel matched him, and they switched it up on him
a little bit. There was that one play Joe got called for a foul on it, which I kind of disagree with, and that is, you know, as you said, he was loaded for bear Jannis coming into the lane and a beat instead of matching the physicality backed off. The big guys in our league called that pull in the chair and so Juell did not meet him with the force and Jannis just kind of fumbled out of bounce and that just kind of indicative of kind of
changing things up on him. And then again al Horford has done over the last three four or five years when Atlanta or Boston whichever team he's been, he's been guarding Janna, so he's not totally unaccustomed, and Jannis is having a great year. He did not have a good day here today, certainly from the outside, where he's been much improved in that three point shooting. One thing we didn't mention, as Kyle has been working with him about that. Looks like a coach in waiting there in Kyle Korver,
who made only one three. But I thought another two guys for them that were great and they're having good years. George Hill was perfect five for five, including three threes at the beginning of the game, and then Chris Middleton can fill it up. And the one question I would have postgame here and maybe Milwaukee the reporters asking coach Bud but why not zone? Earlier I kind of teased it jokingly but somewhat serious, and that is, would coach Bud go zone after a thirty eight point first quarter?
Will see kind of throwed out there as a tease, and he didn't until the end, and it made an impact late in the game, as you mentioned, the outschool the sections by fifteen in the fourth seventy six Ers knock off the Bucks one, twenty one, one on nine, All right time. Your assessment of the seventy six Ers a third of the way into the season on this Christmas Day twenty three and ten, with some noteworthy victories, Well,
no doubt about it. And you know, let's go back to what coach said, and and that is, you know, part of his press conference here tonight or today was you know, this team is built for the playoffs. And that's true, and there's no doubt about it. You got veteran players that have been in big games before and could perform at a high level. Uh. And today the Sixers this this was like a playoff atmosphere, and no doubt there's been some uposite end downs. They started out
struggling on the road. Uh. And then you know they should have won some of those games that the Oklahoma game comes to mind, that game in Denver comes to mind, the tough loss here in some of those three the three losses last week, and how about that, what this is kind of a over the last two weeks indicative and that's a three and three record, so not totally, but in other words, the Sixers lost three game in a row, and look out, now the sky has following
you can't solve his zone. And now you've won three in a row, including an exciting, emphatic victory over Milwaukee, and so you just want to keep improving. Get that group that in terms of the starters to continue to play together, get that consistency to continuity with that group, and then keep developing young players. You get motised back, you get furkon who's really going to be confident and the ability to hit the threes. And this has been good.
Mike Scott's been good off the bench. He got Trey and Howl and so you know it's shaping up to be a memorable year, and you just you know, you want to keep it going. And in the end you're going to be battling Miami and just everybody that's up
there right now, the Heat, the Celtics. How about the Celtics going into Toronto when winning convincingly, and you're going back to Milwaukee twice, Like this is chapter one, but there'll be two more chapters in this story, and then who knows, these two teams could meet down the road in April May in the playoffs. An accurate, measured look at the state of the seventy six Ers and how they stack up with the best team in the league
right now via record, the Milwaukee Bucks. But nonetheless, as Tom said, great afternoon in South Philadelphia as the seventy Sixers prevail. Tom, enjoy the rest of your holiday. Thank you, Brian Gooday. This was a game that when the schedule came out back in August. As a fan, anyone who files the team, a media member, you had to have circles in your calendar right, not only a Christmas Day game, but a Christmas Day game at home against a team you figured would be a top contender for the Eastern
Conference title. Well. As it turned out, going into this particular showdown, the Bucks had the best record in the league at twenty seven and four, the seventy Sixers trying to climb up the rungs a little bit higher in the East Great Theater as the Sixers hosted their first Christmas Day game since nineteen eighty eight. Early going at the first time out, it was all tied up at fourteen. From there it was all seventy Sixers as they began
to flex their muscle and its squares. It for three right side back iron off noe week side rebound earth side and horpor owner and how Horpork claims like for the sixers to Benny domin Night sevens with a lamp up and good like a freak train right up broad straight. Ben Simmons puts it up an end. You could tell the intensity was starting to rub off on the rest of the team and the crowd as well. Joel Ebad putting a finish on what was a high scoring first quarter.
Richardson with the ball five on the clock, Josh around screen, Contaton flocks up up five it, Bead picks it up, fires from deep ed in. Joel and being with the clock twindling, knocks out another grade Sixers by eight, and Bead made it thirty eight to thirty to thirty eight points, the most allowed by Milwaukee in a first quarter this season, and Bead continued to do damage in the second Sixers
by eleven nine forty. In the first half, Richardson turns into the lane left hand scoop, it's a path to it, beat in an lu calf What a play by Josh Richardson edit beat up harded down with a slam, and Bead would scored twenty three points, a season high in the first half. To Bias Harris helped make sure the
Sixers had a comfortable cushion going into the break. Sixers have eight threes and the ball here's Harris for an they're try and it's good to Bias Harris five in a row, his second three, and the Sixers by fourteen time out. Milwaukee ben a standing ovation in Philadelphia, and that's when you really started to feel like this would be the seventy Sixers day. Fifty three, thirty nine was the score, then sixty nine to forty eight to score
at the half. The sixty nine points the most surrendered by Milwaukee in the first half this season, so you can tell the Sixers doing a great job scoring the ball obviously, but then defensively forty eight points scored by Milwaukee that tied for the lowest first half mark of the season. So across the board, the seventy Sixers had things going their way. Ben Simmons adding the seventy Sixers total,
opening it up to a twenty three point lead. In the third, Ben milonet tan dribble takes him up, the bounce into the lane, fence it up and then that's what happens if you give Simmons too much space. You've allowed him to get the momentum off the bounds to get in there, and he goes right five Middleton and scores it. Ben Simmons with the field goal. He's got eight and one of the great moments of the afternoon. Furd con quirk Bis going up against Yannis. Sound of
the kumpo. In the third, here's furk On again one more time. Oh yeah, he's knocked out by Jannis furk On. Clark Bas, he's out of his mind. The six Ers lead ninety three to sixty seven. Clark Bas with a holiday present for I Donna Kumpo. It would be one hundred and seventy three heading into the fourth. A couple more highlights for you, Ben Simmons one last time on this Christmas Day. Five minutes to go, though, Simmons of
the ball. Simmons on a drive, Jamal Name puts it up with the right hand and in damn, that is hard man. He's going right and left. He ships into his right hand and scores it. Simmons now thirteen one, thirteen ninety one was the score. Then Bucks made a late charge. They knockdown eight of their sixteen three pointers that he could probably. They knocked down five of their thirteen three pointers in the fourth quarter that helped him
gain some ground. They got it to within nine at one point late, but Al Horford made sure there would be no doubt left about this one. Josh Richardson downlow, left three to shoot, cross court, skip al, catch shot, free fall ball game yeah, hell. Hartford puts Milwaukee to bed. One twenty one one O nine had the Sixers with a rebound after a wild shot by Middleton, it's over and that would be the final score. One twenty one one O nine. Seventy Sixers shoot forty three and a
half percent from the field. They set a season high with twenty one three pointers on forty four attempts. That equates to forty seven and a half percent. They were twelve or fifteen from the line, plus two on the glass against Milwaukee, with plus six in terms of offensive rebounding, and that gave them a little bit of an edge. In terms of second chance points. They were plus three only eight turnovers committed by the seventy Sixers. That's a
great number. Thirty one and eleven for Joel Embiid twenty two points behind five of seven three points shooting for Tobias Harris, eighteen for Josh Richardson fifteen points, fourteen assists for Ben Simmons, sixteen for fur Con Corkmas off the bench, he knocked down his first four three pointers of the afternoon. Milwaukee was led by Chris Midlton with thirty one. Jannis out of Acupo, a very pedestrian eighteen points on a very unsightly eight of twenty seven, shooting over seven from
outside the arc. He did have fourteen rebounds and seven assists. George Hill came off the bench for fifteen. Seventy six Ers have won three straight. After three losses in Rome, Milwaukee drops to twenty seven and five. There three game winning streak is over, while the seventy six ers improved to twenty three and ten. As we take a look at the updated Eastern Conference standings, the seventy Sixers now move into fourth place thanks to a loss by Toronto
to the Boston Celtics earlier today. Up next with the seventy six Ers, they start a four game road trip, a really just weird road trip in terms of geography. They're at Orlando in two days on Friday, then they finish it back to back at Miami. They're off for a couple days, go to Indeed to play at three o'clock on New Year's eve Day. Come back home for two days before heading out to visit Houston a week
from this coming Friday. You've been listening to rewind. Look out for fresh episodes the day after every seventy six ers game this season.