PHILADELPHIA – The Milwaukee Bucks wrapped up one of their most disappointing seasons in recent memory with a 126-106 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers at Xfinity Mobile Arena on April 12.
The Bucks finished the year 32-50, their fewest wins since notching just 15 in the 2013-14 tanking season that landed them Jabari Parker with the No. 2 overall selection. After a brief hot streak around the all-star break where they won eight out of 10 games and pulled to within five games of .500, the Bucks went 6-19 to finish the season.
BOX SCORE: 76ers 126, Bucks 106
Philadelphia improved to 45-37.
Milwaukee had just eight players available and led 62-58 at the break, but the 76ers outscored the Bucks 38-16 in the third quarter to effectively end the game. AJ Green scored 19 points while Cormac Ryan had 22 to go with 10 rebounds for his first career double-double.
In their prep for the play-in tournament, the 76ers played their regulars and were led by Tyrese Maxey (21 points) and VJ Edgecombe (11 assists).
AJ Green breaks Ray Allen’s 3-point record
Ray Allen has now been completely moved off the top of the Bucks’ franchise leaderboard for 3-point shooting, as AJ Green made five 3-pointers against Philadelphia to set a single-season franchise mark with 232 made triples.
He got the record by making three 3s in the first quarter.
“I guess it’s something you’d rather have knocked out of the way right away than worrying about it in the fourth quarter, but I wasn’t trying to worry about it either,” Green said. “I think just coming out being aggressive and shooting shots and trusting they were going to fall.
“It’s an honor. It’s a blessing. I’m grateful for it.”
Green, who made five 3-pointers in total against the 76ers, made at least that many in 16 games this season. He was held without a made 3-pointer just six times in 78 games, and that consistency allowed Green to break Allen’s record of 229 made in 2001-02.
“He’s a legend, right, an absolute legend,” Green said. “Especially 3-point shooting, kind of paving the way for guys like me to come in and have success. He shaped the game in a lot of ways, so it’s an honor to be up there. It doesn’t really kind of set in yet. Sometimes it takes time. But, it’s cool. I just gotta try to beat it again, I guess.”
Two Bucks challenged Allen’s mark recently, with Malik Beasley making 224 two seasons ago and Damian Lillard knocking down 220 last year.
But it was Green who got it done, thanks in part to an April barrage that saw him drain 38 in just seven games.
“It’s amazing,” Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said. “If you think about well he was playing before the [shoulder] injury, and he really just returned shooting the ball well within the last month, maybe? Three weeks.
“It is amazing what he’s done. It’s pretty cool.”
It was the second game in a row that Green moved Allen down a notch, as the 26-year-old sharpshooter broke Allen’s shared single-game record with 11 on April 10 at home.
“I’m just happy [he] let the work show, if anything,” Bucks center Myles Turner told the Journal Sentinel about Green’s first record-breaking night. “It’s funny. He was on the bench and he’s a pretty quiet demeanor kind of guy and he was fired up (against Brooklyn). He sat next to me on the bench and he said, ‘I’m shooting every 3 I get a chance to look at,’ or, ‘every single time I touch the ball I’m shooting.’ I said bro, yeah, by all means. I’ve never seen him that overly aggressively, or overtly even when he speaks and communicates. I was happy for him. He talked his [expletive] and he backed it up.”
During the 2021-22 season Khris Middleton broke Allen’s career mark for 3-pointers made in franchise history. Middleton owns that record, along with the one for most 3-pointers attempted.
Giannis Antetokounmpo does not finish season
Despite his insistence he was healthy enough to play and a league investigation into the handling of a knee injuries suffered on March 15, Giannis Antetokounmpo never got back onto the court.
The 31-year-old played a career-low 36 games in 2025-26, which rendered him ineligible for MVP and all-NBA consideration. His streak of nine straight all-NBA selections was broken, and it was the first season after which he was not on any MVP ballot since 2015-16.Antetokounmpo was only at full capacity for 12 games from Oct. 22-Nov. 15. In that stretch, he averaged 32.6 points on 63% shooting while handing out 7.1 assists and pulling down 11.3 rebounds.
He suffered a left adductor injury during a game against Cleveland on Nov. 17, a right calf strain on Dec. 3, a second right calf strain on Jan. 23 and the knee injury on March 15. In the intermittent games between those injuries, Antetokounmpo played under minute restrictions.
Antetokounmpo finished his season playing under 29 minutes per game, his fewest since his rookie season in 2013-14. He averaged 27.6 points per game (fewest since 2017-18), 9.8 rebounds (fewest since 2016-17) and 5.4 assists (fewest since 2017-18).It was also his first season without a triple-double since 2014-15.
There were highlights, however, including his buzzer-beating shot over Indiana on Nov. 3 and becoming the sixth-youngest player in league history to score 21,000 points on Nov. 29. Antetokounmpo was also voted into his 10th straight all-star game, keeping alive the second-longest active streak in the NBA.
Antetokounmpo also set an NBA record for most career games with at least 30 points, 10 rebound and five assists. He had 10 such games this season to give him 160 for his career, sending him past former Bucks legends Oscar Robertson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (157). Antetokounmpo set another franchise record for most 40-point games.
He also had a 31-point, 20-rebound effort against Toronto on Oct. 24.
Ryan Rollins had Most Improved Player campaign
In a disappointing season, Ryan Rollins was a massive bright spot for the Bucks. Due to prolonged absences by Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Porter Jr., the 23-year-old guard was asked to be the team’s primary ball handler, playmaker and scorer for large swaths of the season.
Though there were up-and-down moments, Rollins finished the season playing 74 games and averaging 17.4 points while shooting 40.6% from behind the 3-point line. He also averaged 5.6 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.
All were clearly career highs, and he set a franchise record for largest single-season scoring improvement (plus-11.1 points) after averaging 6.2 points per game last year. Eric Murdock scored 10.3 more points per game from 1991-92 to 1992-93. Rollins’ scoring improvement was second-best in the NBA this year, behind only Atlanta’s Nickeil Alexander-Walker (plus-11.4).
Rollins will get Most Improved Player votes, without question. The only Bucks player to win the award was Antetokounmpo in 2017.
Bucks still have chance at No. 9 pick
The Bucks and Bulls are “battling” for the ninth-worst record in the league, an ignominious conflict that matters because the team that finishes with the 10th-worst record has no chance to win the No. 9 pick in May 10 NBA Draft lottery.
With their loss to the 76ers, Bucks finished 32-50 on the year and will wait to see if Chicago, which plays later in the evening, wins or loses in Dallas. Should the Bulls win, they will match the Bucks record and a random drawing to determine the ninth and tenth picks in the draft will be held in late April.
The team that finishes with the 10th worst record in the league has a 65.9% chance of winning the No. 10 pick in the draft whereas the team that finishes with the ninth-worst record has a 50.8% chance of landing No. 9 and a 25.9% chance of landing tenth.
Also, the No. 9 team has a 20.3% chance to land a top four pick as opposed a 13.9% chance for the No. 10 team.
Bucks fans should also keep an eye on some Western Conference late games.
New Orleans (26-55), Dallas (25-56) and Memphis (25-56) are bunched up, and the worst team in that group could have a 37.2% chance to win a top-four pick. The best team could see those top four odds drop as low as 26.2%. This matters because if New Orleans lands a pick lower in the draft than Milwaukee, the Bucks keep their original position.
If the Bucks somehow jump over the Pelicans, New Orleans can swap position as a part of the 2020 Jrue Holiday trade. (Atlanta would then take that pick from New Orleans due to an unrelated 2025 trade. That has no bearing on Milwaukee).
To give themselves the best chance to leave Philadelphia with a loss, the Bucks have ruled out most of the team.
5 numbers
1: Triple-doubles for Bucks center Jericho Sims this season, which was the first of his career. He joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (eight times) as the only Milwaukee centers to accomplish the feat.
2: Bobby Portis Jr.’s rank in all-time double-doubles off the bench with 88. He had eight this season, which allowed him to pass Roy Tarpley (81) and Enes Freedom (87). Only Detlef Schrempf (106) has more. Portis already owns the Bucks franchise record with 61.
6: Doc Rivers’ rank in all-time coaching wins (1,194) as he passed former Bucks coach George Karl (1,175) this season. Rivers was inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame on April 4.
11: Made 3-pointers by AJ Green, breaking the single-game record of 10 that was shared by Ray Allen and Damian Lillard.
56: Career 40-point games for Giannis Antetokounmpo, breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s franchise record (55).
Is Giannis playing?
No.
The Bucks ruled Giannis Antetokounmpo out with a hyperextension and bone bruise in his left knee, which was suffered on March 15 after he landed awkwardly following a dunk.
Milwaukee Bucks injury report
Bucks starters
What time is the Bucks game?
The game is set to begin at 5 p.m. CT.
What channel is the Bucks game on?
The game will be broadcast locally on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin with Lisa Byington, Wesley Matthews and Melanie Ricks on the call.
Bucks vs. 76ers odds
Philadelphia is a 15.5-point favorite over Milwaukee while the over/under is set at 226.5 points, per BetMGM.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: AJ Green sets 3-point record, 76ers beat Bucks 126-106
Reporting by Jim Owczarski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
