The Milwaukee Bucks fell short in their bid to win their first gamewithout Giannis Antetokounmpo, as theysuffered a 123-114 overtime loss to the Philadelphia 76ersat home on Thursday.
Milwaukee simply couldn’t find an answer to the torrid offense of Sixers star guard Tyrese Maxey, who led all scorers in the contest by a wide margin. The former Kentucky Wildcats guard scattered 54 points on 18-for-30 shooting from the floor. He also benefited from a generous whistle of the referees, as he made a living on the foul line, where he went 12-for-14.
As for the Bucks, they were led by Ryan Rollins, who had quite a performance himself, albeit in a loss. Rollins put up 32 points on an efficient 13-for-26 shooting from the field. He could have also added more to his tally if he had only gotten more favorable calls. He finished just 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.
Bucks’ Rivers speaks up on Rollins’ whistle after loss to Philadelphia
Nov 20, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers reacts in the 3rd quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
Milwaukee head coach Doc Rivers, however, seems to think that Rollins stands to get more calls in his favor, as the former Toledo Rockets guard continues to shine.
Here’s what Rivers said (h/tEric Nehm of The Athletic):
“He has great composure. He complains to me about how he feels like he’s getting hit a ton at the basket and he’s not getting the call. Every time Maxey went to the foul line, he kept looking over at me. I don’t know what I can do for him on that, but I think he has a case. I thought that last one that he drove and they hit him across the arm. He made the layup. You could hear the slap. And then the next play, it was almost a touch foul down there and they called it. So, you just gotta play through that.. He does that, though. That’s what’s so impressive about him.”
Rollins is averaging 17.4 points per game, but only9.6 percentof his points in the 2025-26 NBA regular season have come from free throws. For comparison, Antetokounmpo is getting 20.7 percent of his scoring output from the foul line. Meanwhile, Maxey ismaking 21.6 percent of his points from there.
Nov 20, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee guard Ryan Rollins (13) drives for the basket against Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) in the first quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
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