Harper, Wentz watch Sixers lose to Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks rallied for a 128-122 win at Wells Fargo Center Thursday night, going on a 15-4 run over the final 2 minutes, 26 seconds of the game, part of a 46-point fourth quarter. That simply can't happen in big games. 

The Sixers magic number to clinch the three-seed remains two despite the return of Joel Embiid, who sat the previous three games for everyone's favorite term, load management. Beyond the cautious preservation of the franchise's best player, Embiid has been battling knee soreness for a while now, and it's forced him to miss 11 games since the All-Star break. There are only three regular season games left, and the Celtics and Pacers are two-games back for third in the East. 

Here are observations from a frustrating loss for your 76ers. 

A Fourth Quarter To Forget

Truthfully, this sub-head should emphasize that it was "a final few minutes to forget," as the 76ers led by five with 2 minutes, 54 seconds remaining. The Sixers scored points on just two of their final eight possessions, while going one-for-seven to close the game. 

At the other end, the Bucks got whatever they wanted.

"We struggled guarding them, didn't we," Brett Brown asked, knowing the answer to his question. "We got to do better." 

"There's a couple plays where we didn't come up with loose balls, and they scored on those plays," JJ Redick said. "That was really the game, much more than what happened after it was 119-119." 

Truthfully, if you saw the Sixers up 118-113 after Mike Scott made his sixth three-pointer with just under three minutes left, and blinked your eyes, you would've missed Milwaukee's run. It took about five-six minutes of real time to happen, but it made you go, "wait, what just happened?"

Marc Zumoff said on NBC Sports Philadelphia during the telecast, "Boy, this is amazing. The Sixers seemingly had control of this game through the good part of the second half, and suddenly the Bucks with a bit of a surge here, thanks largely to (George) Hill and of course (Giannis) Antetokounmpo all night long."  

Well put, Zoo. 

Embiid vs Giannis 

It's a shame the Sixers only played the Bucks three times in the regular season, because Joel Embiid against Giannis Antetokounmpo is a heavyweight fight worth five times the price of admission. 

All game these superstars were going back and forth at one another, creating tremendous theater. 

However, Antetokounmpo won the battle, scoring 45 points with 13 rebounds, which included going 16-for-21 from the foul line. 

Embiid pulled off a triple-double with 34 points, 13 rebounds and a career high 13 assists, but he was 12-of-31 from the floor. 

The Bucks won the season series 2-1, and Antetokounmpo gets the last laugh for now. 

The Toughness of Embiid 

Embiid made a lot of Sixers fans concerned with 1:28 to go before halftime as he went into the locker room early after tweaking his ankle stepping on Antetokounmpo's foot. 

In the 2nd half, Embiid went up for a dunk that Antetokounmpo got a piece of, resulting in Embild falling hard on the floor on his back, which has bothered him at times this season. 

Embiid was slow to get up, again concerning the crowd, but he played on with no problem.

The big guy may miss large chunks of games, but he's as tough as they come. 

Not to mention, he's also got magic healing powers too. 

Joel really kissed JJ Redick's elbow after he fell. -- pic.twitter.com/WpJR5rwjV2

What can't Embiid do? 

Eric Bledsoe Pulled a "Marcus Smart" 

I'd like to give the "Marcus NOT SO Smart Award" of the night to Eric Bledsoe, who got ejected with 9:24 left in the first quarter because he chucked the ball at Embiid after the center lightly threw the ball at Bledsoe in between plays. 

Eric Bledsoe ejected for shoving Joel Embiid and throwing -- at him pic.twitter.com/esTfS4ZKTW

Embiid and Mike Scott were given technical fouls, while Bledsoe was ejected. 

That was a big blow to the Bucks and huge for the Sixers, especially considering how much they struggle against playmaking guards. 

Good Nights For Mike Scott and JJ Redick, Except In The End

The Sixers bench has been a weakness for this team all season, regardless of how the roster was constructed. 

Scott was forced into the starting lineup because of the back injury to Jimmy Butler, and he didn't disappoint making six-of-eight three-point attempts, finishing with 22 points. 

Redick was also very good, finishing with 29 points, which included five-of-nine from three-point range. 

However, neither was able to come up clutch in the closing few minutes. 

Butler obviously would've been the guy to go to if he played. 

"It has been in the past simpler to just like sort of give Jimmy the ball and run a middle pick and roll in those situations and space the floor where you think people should be spaced," Brown said. "We certainly missed Jimmy, but you give Milwaukee credit." 

Tobias Slump Continues

Tobias Harris scored 13 points on six-of-15 from the floor. The most glaring problem from the amount of time Embiid has missed is they haven't played together. It's not an ideal situation, as Brown has admitted. 

Harris needs to be better considering what the Sixers gave up for him at the trade deadline, and because he's on an expiring contract.

Again, What In The World Was Brett Brown Thinking

This isn't the first time I wrote a sub-head like that. 

Late in the third quarter, Brown very, very briefly had a lineup on the floor of Harris, T.J. McConnell, Shake Milton, Jonah Bolden and Scott. Meantime, the Bucks still had Antetokounmpo in the game. 

I know the Sixers are shorthanded, but as I've written before—that should never happen, especially with Antetokounmpo in a game of this magnitude. 

By the way, the Bucks went on a run that turned a nine-point Sixers lead into four heading to the fourth quarter. Put that one on Brown for the insanely inferior lineup he had on the floor. 

Ben Only Took 5 Shots

Ben Simmons distributed the ball nicely, finishing with 13 assists. However, he only took five shots and finished with six points. An All-Star needs to be more active offensively than Simmons was Thursday night. 

Not Bad, Zhaire

Sixers 19-year-old rookie Zhaire Smith made his home debut in Game 79 of the season, and held his own. While he missed a wideeeeeee open dunk, he played strong defense, was aggressive and looked like he belong. 

After what Smith went through this season with the broken foot and allergic reaction, anything the Sixers can get out of him this season is a bonus. 

Bryce Harper Ringing The Bell Was Simply Perfect 

Considering the Phillies are about to start a six-game homestead, I had a feeling a certain someone named Bryce Harper would be the Sixers ceremonial bell ringer for this game. When I saw no one standing by the bell when they first rolled it out, I really started to believe that was going to be the case. Then, PA Announcer Matt Cord dramatically announced it was a Phillie, and it was basically a lock at that point. 

Like Nick Foles and DeSean Jackson before him, Harper received a thunderous roar from the Wells Fargo Center crowd. 

WIP's Jack Fritz disagreed with the usage of Harper for a regular season game. I couldn't disagree more. 

This was a huge game for a struggling Sixers team, one that's still trying to lock up the third seed in the East with the regular season winding down. 

Harper brought even more energy to the building in what was certainly a playoff atmosphere. Not to mention, who says the Sixers can't bring him back again for a playoff game? There's no rule about how many times a person can #RingTheBell, whether it's at Citizens Bank Park or Wells Fargo Center. 

RING US IN @bryceharper3! #HereTheyCome pic.twitter.com/5Gpqr8g6A0

POWERHOUSE Suite 

Turns out Harper wasn't the only Philadelphia sports star at the game Thursday night. Teammate Rhys Hoskins and Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz were in the same suite, which was quite the site to see. 

Bryce Harper chatting up Carson Wentz at the Sixers game. Philly sports perfect storm. Hi, Rhys. pic.twitter.com/Nn1TcC3g63

They were joined by Kayla Harper, Maddie Oberg and Hoskins' finance Jayme Bermudez. 

Standing ---- for Bryce Harper and Carson Wentz#CityOfStars#RingTheBell#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/x0hL9TVixS

Alston Jeffery was in the building as well, sitting curtsied. 

Philly Sports Unite! 

Bucks Jerseys Were Hideous 

I'm all for professional sports teams having multiple jerseys (Eagles should get the opportunity to bring Kelly Green uniforms back), but those yellow Bucks jerseys might be one of the worst I've ever seen. 

Ever. 

GAME ON!!#FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/quMPXZ1jYQ

I'm not alone in that opinion. 

Sixers Missing Critical Scoreboards For 1st Half 

This is my silly observation of the night. 

Other than the main scoreboard at Wells Fargo Center, there's a secondary scoreboard that is critical to the game viewing experience—the board that shows how many points, fouls and rebounds players on the floor have. 

Only problem was that board on the Jumbotron and the ones at both ends of the building were out for the entire first half. 

I can't complain because I had a computer in front of me with a box score. Folks in the stands though weren't as fortunate.​