Milwaukee Bucks edge the 76ers at home

It came down to the wire, but the Milwaukee Bucks escaped with a 91-87 victory over the visiting Philadelphia 76ers after center Greg Monroe scored the go-ahead basket with 1:29 before nearly 12,500 fans at the BMO Harris Bradley Center Wednesday night.

The Bucks’ comeback victory over the winless 76ers (0-4) in ways overshadowed the return of promising, young forward Jabari Parker He was making his return from a torn ACL in his left knee, which occurred only 25 games into his promising rookie season last year on Dec. 15

“Had a few jitters,” Parker said of making his return. “But, most importantly I was more engulfed in the game every chance that I got.”

Milwaukee guard Khris Middleton hit a fade away three-pointer with 48 seconds left to put the Bucks up by four.  He sealed the victory with two free throws with 1.4 seconds left.

“Guys stayed together, and we made some plays down the stretch on the defensive end,” Bucks head coach Jason Kidd said. “On the offensive end, we took our time, and the two guys that delivered tonight, you look at Moose and Khris, we played through them.”

Kidd said execution late in the game proved to be the difference.

“Being able to execute, the ball was moving better in that fourth quarter,” Kidd said. “We got Khris backdoor for a layup, and on the other end we got the rebounds when we had to or we came up with a steal.”

The Bucks (2-3) relied on their two big off-season signings in the final minutes of the game, as Middleton and Monroe combined to score the final 11 points after trailing by three with 2:55 remaining.

“We were just playing off each other,” Monroe said. “We were slowing the game down, making sure we get good shots.

“That’s something we have to do as two leaders on this team. Down the stretch, we have to make clutch plays. I think we did a good job of finishing the game tonight.”

Middleton led the Bucks with 21 points and Monroe added 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists.  Giannis Antetokounmpo chipped in 17.

The young, inexperienced 76ers came to play against a likely playoff team in the Bucks.  They battled and were in the game until the very end.

Leading the way for Philadelphia was highly touted rookie Jahlil Okafor.  He displayed exactly why he was deserving of being selected No. 3 overall in last spring’s NBA Draft, scoring 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the floor.

“He (Okafor) will be a great big man in this league for a long time,” Monroe said. “He’s definitely very skilled.”

Second-year forward Nerlens Noel also had a monster night for the 76ers, tallying 17 points and 12 rebounds.

Parker was a bit rusty as he scored two points and registered four rebounds in 16 minutes of play.

“You know, I didn’t make much. I made a basket,” Parker said with a smile. “Went really well. Got the win, so that’s most important.”

Kidd said prior to the game that Parker’s minutes would be limited as they ease him back into game action.  They plan on gradually increasing Parker’s minutes until he is fully comfortable on the court again.

“He didn’t make every shot,” Kidd said. “He had good looks. But just to be back on the floor and put the jersey back on, now we’ll see how he feels and if we can continue to add minutes.”

The Bucks will look to extend their two-game winning streak on Friday when they travel to New York to face the Knicks (2-3). These two teams last met on the opening night of the NBA regular season, when the visiting Knicks dominated the Bucks, winning 122-97.

The 76ers on the other hand will attempt to pick up their first win of the season when they head to Cleveland to face one of the NBA’s top teams in the Cavaliers (4-1), which are led by LeBron James.

Philadelphia head coach Brett Brown is hoping his team can use this game to gain confidence despite falling to the Bucks after giving up the late lead.

“Tonight, we were in a position, at the end, to get a road win,” Brown said. “We didn’t, but it’s something you just leave feeling good about the group. They are moving forward.”