By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
In the much anticipated Christmas Day clash, the Philadelphia 76ers logged a convincing 121-109 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Joel Embiid banked 31 points and 11 boards for the victors who made the crucial run in the second quarter to go up 69-48 at halftime. Furkan Korkmaz also had a great night with 16 points on 4-5 from deep with 12 of his points coming in the second half.
Al Horford logged 11 points and ten boards while Ben Simmons had an all-around performance with 11 points, 14 assists and seven boards.
Khris Middleton with 31 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo with 18 points, 14 boards and seven assists couldn’t change the outcome for Milwaukee which only managed to soften the blow in the final period. Ersan Ilyasova scored seven points in 15 minutes on the floor.
Earlier, the Boston Celtics got a 118-102 road win over the Toronto Raptors in the first Christmas Day game played in Canada.
Jaylen Brown led the way with 30 points followed by Kemba Walker with 22. Enes Kanter notched a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards while Daniel Theis added 13 points.
Fred VanVleet and Chris Boucher scored 27 and 24 respectively for the hosts while Serge Ibaka logged 12 points and eight rebounds.