Follow live: Giannis tries to keep Bucks undefeated in East duel against 76ers

Bobby Portis “passionately” challenged Adrian Griffin and his Milwaukee Bucks teammates following their loss to the Indiana Pacers in the In-Season Tournament, sources told Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report.

The Bucks lost the game 128-119 and were outscored 37-25 in the fourth quarter.

Griffin reportedly emphasized winning the rebound battle after the game. Portis interjected by pointing out the importance for Griffin to structure the offense down the stretch of games.

Griffin acknowledged he could be more aggressive with his play-calling. Portis then added that it was up to the players to execute as well as Griffin to give the offense direction.

The Pacers outrebounded the Bucks 51-46 in the game.

Tyrese Maxey scored 50 points as he continues his breakout season in the Philadelphia 76ers’ 137-126 win over the Indiana Pacers. The Sixers have now won eight games in a row after their narrow opening night defeat to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Maxey was 20-for-32 from the field and had 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks.

Joel Embiid tagged Maxey with the nickname “The Franchise” again after the game.

“Joel wanted me to get 50 more than even I did,” Maxey said. “When he gave me the ball, he said, ‘You are going to shoot this basketball.’ And that’s why I appreciate my teammates, my coaches and the fans. It was a great night and we got the win, which is what matters most.”

“We are playing together and trusting each other,” Embiid said. “It may look like we didn’t play defense tonight, but [Indiana] plays so fast, it’s incredible with the pace. So they are going to score a lot, but we just competed. We lowered our guard for a bit, but we had Tyrese to help close it out.”