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SharePostgame Report: Bucks vs. Sixers - 4/9/2010
Bucks 95 Sixers 90
Box Score | In Transition Highlights | Alley-Oop | Eddie Jordan Postgame | Jodie Meeks Postgame
Bucks top 76ers for 4th straight win
PHILADELPHIA(AP) Carlos Delfino scored 23 points and Luke Ridnour had 18 to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 95-90 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night.
The Bucks are jostling for playoff position and entered the game tied for fifth with Miami in the Eastern Conference. They've won four straight games and have remained in the hunt for the No. 5 seed even without injured center Andrew Bogut.
The Bucks led wire-to-wire against the woeful Sixers and have held three straight teams to 90 or fewer points. Brandon Jennings had 16 points and seven assists.
Andre Iguodala led the Sixers with 21 points. Philadelphia missed 11-of-20 attempts from the free throw line.
John Salmons, who has been a surprise star for the Bucks since his trade from Chicago, played only 24 minutes because of the flu.
He scoring touch would have been handy in the fourth quarter when the hapless Sixers started to make a run and nearly played spoiler in the playoff race.
The Sixers sliced the lead to under five several times, but couldn't sustain the big buckets long enough to ever take the lead.
Jrue Holiday, who was 0 for 8 in the first half, nailed a 3-pointer with 19 seconds left that cut it to 89-87.
Jennings did what the Sixers failed to do - make free throws. He calmly sank two in a tight game late in the fourth, much like the rookie might be asked to do in a decisive playoff game.
Iguodala, suddenly playing some of his best basketball of the season long after any of the games matter, hit his third 3 and there was still a glimmer of hope for lottery-bound Philadelphia.
It didn't last long. The Bucks clinched the win from the foul line and then it was off to the locker room to wait for word on the Detroit at Miami game. A Heat loss would put the Bucks in fifth.
Unlike the Sixers, Milwaukee thrived from the line, going 21 for 23.
Bucks coach Scott Skiles stumped for Jennings' candidacy for rookie of the year before the game. His criteria was simple: Jennings was having the best season of any rookie leading his team to the playoffs. This wasn't one of his stronger games - only 4 for 17 - but all those free throws down the stretch helped the Bucks hang on.
The Bucks rolled to a 13-point lead in the first half because the Sixers simply couldn't hit shots. Holiday missed all eight attempts, Willie Green was 0 for 3 and Elton Brand 1 for 5.
NOTES: Milwaukee's Royal Ivey and Primoz Brezec started the season with the 76ers. They were part of a trade that sent Francisco Elson to Philadelphia. Elson made his season debut with the Sixers and scored two points. The Sixers also acquired Jodie Meeks in that Feb. 16 deal, and he scored 11 points in 22 minutes.
Game Notes
- With the win tonight, the Bucks split the season series vs. the Sixers. Philly had won the previous three games at home against Milwaukee. The Bucks have won four straight, including the last three without Andrew Bogut in the lineup. The Sixers have lost six in a row after winning consecutive games on 3/24 and 3/26.
- The Sixers never led tonight. It is just the third time this season Philly has failed to hold a lead (2/24 @ Phoenix and 3/14 @ Miami).
- Philly has lost the past two games despite shooting better from the floor than the opposition in both. The Sixers drop to 21-9 when outshooting opponents this season. Over the past two games, opponents are shooting just 41.7% from the floor after shooting 52.3% the five games prior.
- The Sixers shot a season-low 45.0% (9-20 FTs) from the line. Philly has shot below 70.0% from the line in 10 of the past 16 games. Milwaukee MADE 21 free throws while Philly ATTEMPTED just 20. The opposition has recorded more FTM than the Sixers have FTA in 11 of the past 21 games and 27 times overall this season after that occurred just 10 times in 2008-09. Philly is 9-41 when having as many or fewer FTM as the opposition this season.
- Philly committed 18 turnovers tonight and is averaging 17.4 tpg over the past eight games after averaging 11.0 the four games prior. The Bucks had 10 steals tonight. Opponents have recorded 10+ steals in six of the past eight games (10.63 spg), including three straight.
- Milwaukee hit 10 3-pointers tonight after averaging just 5.7 3FGM the first three games vs. Philly. Sixer opponents have hit 10+ 3-pointers in six of the past 15 games and 19 times overall this season.
- Andre Iguodala had a team-high 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the floor and 3-of-5 shooting from 3-point range. Over the past 15 games, he’s averaging 19.1 ppg. Iguodala is shooting 59.2% from the floor over the past nine games and 55.2% (16-29 3FGs) from behind-the-arc.
- Philly had three reserves score in double-figures tonight, marking the second time that has occurred over the past three games and the seventh time overall this season. Sixer reserves are averaging 44.5 points over the past four games.
- Lou Williams had 15 points and 6 assists. It is his highest point total since scoring 22 vs. Boston on 3/5 and his highest assist total since having 7 vs. Orlando on 3/1. Samuel Dalembert grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds, marking his second straight game with 15+ boards (16 at Miami on 4/7).
- Jrue Holiday had a game-high 8 assists tonight but committed a Sixers season-high tying 7 turnovers, marking the second time over the past five games he’s committed 7 turnovers (at Charlotte on 3/31.
