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Bucks return home to face struggling Sixers

Jan 22, 2013 - 3:35 PM (Sports Network) - The Milwaukee Bucks return home from a 3-1 road trip on Tuesday night to welcome the sinking Philadelphia 76ers to the Bradley Center.

The Bucks knocked off the Toronto Raptors, Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers during a four-game excursion. Their only loss came at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers, but closed the trek with wins over Phoenix and Portland.

The Bucks are 5-2 under interim head coach Jim Boylan. Their win against the Blazers came thanks to a great night from two players - Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova.

Jennings, who is in the hunt for his first All-Star berth, scored 30 points and handed out eight assists. Ilyasova had 10 points in the first quarter, finished with 27 and grabbed 14 rebounds.

The Bucks scored a season-high 62 points in the first half. Portland made it a game in the second half, but Milwaukee hung on for the victory.

"We squandered the lead a little bit, but it's an NBA game and the other team is going to make plays. We could have closed out better, but when we needed to we made the plays, got the rebounds and the stops," Boylan said.

Larry Sanders blocked a shot in his 26th consecutive game, which is the second-longest active streak in the NBA. He only scored eight points against the Blazers and was ejected in the third quarter after receiving two technical fouls.

The Sixers are 7-18 since December and have dropped seven of their last nine. They haven't won consecutive games since late November. After Tuesday's short trip to Milwaukee, the Sixers play eight straight in Philadelphia.

The Sixers dropped a tough one to the San Antonio Spurs at the Wells Fargo Center on Monday night, as they blew a seven-point second half lead and fell, 90-85.

Philly only scored one point in 13 possessions in the fourth quarter and dropped seven games under .500 at the midpoint in the season.

"We're very concerned," said head coach Doug Collins. "You're going to have to play over .500 basketball to make the playoffs. We're going to keep playing every night and see what we can do. There's not going to be any panic. This team would not react to extra pressure. They would not react well to that at all."

Evan Turner led the Sixers with 18 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. Spencer Hawes, Jrue Holiday, Thaddeus Young and Nick Young also scored in double figures.

Andrew Bynum participated in shootaround for the first time on Monday night and said "his knees feel good. I'm not feeling any pain." He is still targeting a return after the All-Star break.

The Bucks beat the Sixers, 105-96 in Philadelphia on Nov. 12. Milwaukee has won four of its last six at home against the 76ers.