A potential ‘bloodbath’ looms in the playoffs after Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid went toe-to-toe in a thriller.
Plus Patty Mills is trying to single-handedly carry Brooklyn out of the play-in.
Catch up on today’s news, results and scores in the NBA Wrap!
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‘BLOODBATH’ LOOMS AS WORLD LICKS LIPS OVER EMBIID-GIANNIS WAR
Somehow, we’ve still never seen a clash of the East titans in the playoffs: Joel Embiid vs Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The MVP candidates may be on a collision course this year and Embiid got the chocolates when they squared off on Friday, putting up 42 points and 14 rebounds in a 123-120 win by Philadelphia over Milwaukee.
No other Sixers player had more than 19 points as Embiid went 14 of 21 from the floor including 3 of 4 from three-point range, as his side used just nine players.
Giannis fell an assist short of a triple-double, adding 11 rebounds and 32 points, but was less efficient shooting 13 of 23, while Jrue Holiday had 24 points for the Bucks.
The Bucks and Sixers have not met in the playoffs in their current runs of contention, with three Game 7 losses across three separate seasons keeping them from a showdown.
Philly missed the East finals last year when it dropped a 4-3 series to the Hawks, also missing a shot at Milwaukee the conference finals in 2019 when they fell to Toronto 4-3.
On the flip-side the Bucks lost their first-round series as a seventh seed in 2018, 4-3 to Boston, seeing them miss a shot at the two-seed Sixers.
The Sixers are currently tied for third in the East with the Cavaliers and Bucks, all of them 2.5 games back of the Heat and Bulls.
PATTY CARRIES STAR-LESS NETS
After a quiet patch, Aussie Patty Mills has resumed carrying the Brooklyn Nets on his back as the club battles through form concerns and personnel issues ahead of Ben Simmons’ arrival.
The Nets entered the season with one of the most stacked rosters in the NBA, but the kingdom came crashing down spectacularly in the new year.
Marquee man Kevin Durant is sidelined with an MCL injury, Kyrie Irving remains unvaccinated and unavailable for home games and 2018 NBA MVP James Harden has defected to the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Nets have won just two of their last 14 matches, and after some quieter outings earlier this month, Mills has resumed normal transmission as the side’s shining light.
In the Nets’ latest loss to the Washington Wizards on Friday afternoon (AEDT), Mills led all scorers with 22 points from his 30 minutes on the floor. He also managed three assists and three steals, more than any other Net.
The Boomers captain has become known for his laser-like accuracy from deep and drained a further five triples in the 117-103 loss.
Mills has now scored 186 three-pointers this season, putting him 48 shy of D’Angelo Russell’s franchise record for a single season.
With 23 games to play in the regular season, Mills looks on track to knock Russell off his perch if he maintains his average of 3.2 triples per game.
It’s little wonder the replica of Mills’ Nets jersey is now more popular than that of any other player among Australian shoppers on the NBA’s official merchandise website.
In Australia, Mills’ jersey has outsold those of LeBron James, Steph Curry and reigning play-offs MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Mills has been irreplaceable on the paint and now looks set for a mentoring role off it.
Boomers coach Brian Goorjian predicted this week that Mills would take Simmons under his wing as the young Aussie looks to return to his best in Brooklyn.
Earlier this month, the former 76er was traded to the Nets in a blockbuster, multi-player deal that left Harden and Paul Millsap packing their bags for Philly.
Simmons previously said he was hoping to play his first game for the Nets, and his first at NBA level since June, on March 10.
“Patty is going to be great for Ben, just to have an Aussie there,” Goorjian told SEN.
“A guy like Ben can distribute the ball and make everyone better and with Patty, who’s one of the best three-point shooters in the NBA, really, it’s a marriage made in heaven.
“I’m more on just this kid getting out of a situation that clearly was done and get back doing what he loves to do.
“I think he’s going to be in a great environment, we’ll see where that takes us.”
Elsewhere on Friday, Aussie Josh Green played 25 minutes for the Dallas Mavericks, who outmuscled the New Orleans Pelicans 125-118 with Luka Doncic scoring 49 points.
– Jasper Bruce, NCA Newswire
NBA SCORES FOR FEBRUARY 18
Heat 111 – 107 Hornets (2OT)
Wizards 117 – 103 Nets
Mavericks 125 – 118 Pelicans
Sixers 123 – 120 Bucks
Rockets 111 – 142 Clippers