Giannis Antetokounmpo prefers chicken wings over facing the Sixers | Off the Dribble

Good morning, Sixers fans. During Tuesday’s 99-96 win over the New York Knicks, president of basketball operations Daryl Morey tweeted, “The 90′s are excited about this game.”

It was a defensive struggle right out of those 1990s, but the Sixers persevered for their sixth consecutive win. Earning No. 7 will be challenging when the Milwaukee Bucks visit the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday.

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— Marc Narducci (offthedribble@inquirer.com)

Bucks two-time reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo seemed to be in a good mood following Monday’s 133-122 win in Washington.

Then the subject of the Sixers and Wednesday’s game came up and at first he suggested he was looking more forward to some culinary choices.

The question was whether he was looking forward to facing the Sixers for the first time this season.

“No, I’m not actually,” he said on a Zoom interview. “I am looking forward to taking my day off [Tuesday], enjoy my pepperoni pizza, my smoothie, my chicken wings.”

That’s more fun than dealing with Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris and the surging Sixers.

Antetokounmpo says when it is time to get down to business, he and the Bucks will be prepared.

“But you know Wednesday when the time comes, we will have a game plan, coach will give us a game plan and I know my team is gonna be ready,” he said. “I am going to try to be ready too, [they are] having a great season. I think they are No. 1 in the East, I don’t follow that as much, but are they No. 1 in the East?”

That answer would be yes. The Sixers (28-12) lead Brooklyn (27-13) by a game and the Bucks (25-14) by 2 1/2.

“It’s going be a tough, tough one in Philly to play them at home, and we just got to be ready, ready to execute the game plan, play great defense,” said Antetokounmpo, who has recorded three consecutive triple-doubles, the first time it’s been done in franchise history. “Hopefully we can make some shots and just leave Philly better. And just try to end the road trip in a good [way]. Not winning, playing good basketball.”

If that is his stance, OK, but we’re betting that if the Bucks win, that would be better to the Greek Freak than any pepperoni pizza.

This road trip he was referring to consisted of two games in Washington before coming to Philadelphia. The Bucks are looking for their third five-game win streak of the season.

They have also won 9 of 10.

In the previous two years the Bucks were top-seeded in the Eastern Conference, only to experience playoff misery — losing in the conference finals to Toronto in 2019 and the conference semifinals to Miami last year.

This year has felt a two-team race between the Sixers and Nets.

» READ MORE: The Sixers’ Ben Simmons returns fire on critic | Off the Dribble

Not so fast on that one.

Milwaukee, like the Sixers, has a big three — Antetokounmpo (29 ppg., 11.7 rpg.) Khris Middleton (20.4 ppg., 6.1 rpg.) and former Sixer Jrue Holiday (15.2 ppg., 4.9 apg.).

“They have been great, they have been together and what stands out is they have a guy named Giannis and they set the tables though him, but they are long and athletic,” Sixers coach Doc Rivers said after Tuesday’s win. “The biggest thing for them is that they have played together, so chemistry is to their advantage so that is what makes them tough.”

Like many expected contenders, the Bucks appear a player short off the bench. The Sixers will be without Antetokounmpo nemesis Joel Embiid, who will miss his third straight game with a bruised left knee. When an interviewer mentioned Embiid’s absence, Antetokounmpo said, “I know, I have been told about 25 times already.”

This will be Antetokounmpo’s first game in Philadelphia since the Bucks lost to the Sixers, 121-109, on Christmas Day in 2019.

In that game, Embiid spent considerable time guarding Antetokounmpo, who scored 18 points and had 14 rebounds, but shot just 8 for 27 from the field.

Embiid countered with 31 points and 11 rebounds.

Wednesday’s game will not only be minus Embiid, but minus the hype of that Christmas Day matchup.

Antetokounmpo seems to enjoy being in the underdog role in the East, almost as much as his off-day cuisine.

Doc Rivers says there is plenty of room for Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons to both be great.

The Nets and Sixers continue to be the top two teams in the latest Inquirer NBA power rankings. Hey Giannis, the Bucks are No. 5.

Sam Carchidi writes that more fans will be allowed into Flyers and 76ers home games next month if the city follows the state’s plan.

Keith Pompey writes that the Sixers are determined to keep winning despite Embiid’s recent injury. They are 2-0 since he suffered a left knee bruise in Friday’s 127-101 win in Washington.

During a recent podcast, Pompey says he feels the Sixers still need to make a trade by the March 25 deadline, but any deal shouldn’t include Matisse Thybulle or Tyrese Maxey.

On Tuesday night, Portland had one of the more impressive comebacks of the season in a 125-124 home win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Trail Blazers trailed by 17 points, 115-98, after the Pelicans’ Eric Bledsoe hit a floater with 5 minutes, 56 seconds left. From that point, Lillard led a furious comeback, scoring 15 points of his 20 fourth-quarter points.

» READ MORE: In welcoming fans to the Wells Fargo Center, the Sixers took a necessary step toward normal | David Murphy

For the game, Lillard shot 13 for 20, including 6 of 13 from three-point range. He also made all 18 free throw attempts.

According to basketball-reference.com, it was the 12th game of 50 or more points for Lillard.

Here is the list of players with the most 50-point games.

1. Wilt Chamberlain, 118

2. Michael Jordan, 31

3. Kobe Bryant, 25

4. James Harden, 23

5. Elgin Baylor, 17

6. Rick Barry, 14

7. LeBron James, 12

7. Damian Lillard, 12

9. Allen Iverson, 11

10. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 10

Wednesday: Milwaukee Bucks at Sixers, 7 p.m., Wells Fargo Center, NBC Sports Philadelphia/ESPN

Saturday: Sacramento Kings at Sixers, 8 p.m., Wells Fargo Center, NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus

Sunday: Sixers at New York Knicks, 8 p.m., Madison Square Garden, NBC Sports Philadelphia

Tuesday: Sixers at Golden State Warriors, 10 p.m., Chase Center, TNT/NBC Sports Philadelphia

March 25: Sixers at Los Angeles Lakers, 10 p.m., Staples Center, TNT

Question: Do the Sixers need another star to hang with Brooklyn? — Tim Starr from Facebook

Answer: Thanks for the question, Tim. What the Sixers will need most is a healthy Joel Embiid. If that is the case, they will be competitive, but as I have said before, I do think they need an extra player. Does it have to be a star? No, but if they could acquirer a Kyle Lowry, that puts them on even terms with Brooklyn, Milwaukee or anybody in either conference.

Send questions by email (mnarducci@inquirer.com) or on Twitter (@sjnard)