Damian Lillard scored a season-high 43 points to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 135-127 victory over the visiting Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday afternoon.
Lillard added seven rebounds and eight assists for Milwaukee, which played without All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo (strained left calf). Six other Bucks scored in double figures, led by 23 from reserve Gary Trent Jr., who shot 7-of-15 from 3-point range.
Lillard went 8-of-15 from distance as Milwaukee made a season-high 24 3-pointers on 55 attempts (43.6 percent).
Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 39 points and Joel Embiid bundled 27 points with 12 rebounds and six assists. Guerschon Yabusele added 18 points, while Paul George contributed 12 points, six assists and three steals.
Maxey tied Oklahoma City guard and MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the most 30-point games (13) since the start of 2025.
The Bucks took a 40-39 lead into the second quarter after Kyle Kuzma’s layup at the buzzer, which marked the 16th lead change of the opening period.
Milwaukee also beat the buzzer before the half, with Trent knocking down a 3-pointer to give the Bucks a 65-63 edge.
Maxey and Embiid combined for 50 points in the first half, while Lillard had 19 to lead Milwaukee.
The Bucks slowly crawled ahead in the third, going up 101-88 on a 32-foot 3-pointer from Bobby Portis at the end of the shot clock. Milwaukee entered the fourth leading 103-91.
From there, the hosts pulled away beyond the arc. Trent hit three straight 3-pointers to give the Bucks a 115-93 lead with just less than nine minutes to play.
Maxey’s three-point play closed the Sixers within 10 with 1:22 to go, but Taurean Prince’s 3-pointer stretched the margin to 131-119 with 51 seconds remaining.
Milwaukee beat Philadelphia for the seventh time in a row and clinched the season series with Sunday’s win. The teams will meet for the fourth and final time this season on April 3 in Philadelphia.
–Field Level Media
