Points in the open court have been a big part of the Sixers’ recent success, and was again tonight. The Sixers notched 20 fast break points against the Bucks to go along with their 60 points in the paint. When the Sixers score at least 100 points, they are 14-7 on the season after Wednesday night.

Spencer Hawes continued to impress the way he has of late, scoring 15 points while grabbing 17 rebounds. That is Spencer’s fifth double-double in his last seven games. Since being held scoreless on March 2nd against the Golden State Warriors, Hawes has averaged 14.7 points and 10.2 rebounds per outing.

Other contributors include Damien Wilkins, who added 18 points, and Evan Turner, who had an impressive stat line of 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists on 6-of-11 from the field. Even more impressive is that the Sixers were +22 when Turner was on the floor in the win.

Defensively, Milwaukee was held to 41.6% shooting and just 92 points. Brandon Jennings was held to zero points for the first time in his career, and did not play after the 9:37 mark in the third quarter. The Bucks were -25 against the Sixers when their best player was on the court at the Wells Fargo Center.

Most impressively, the Sixers controlled the boards against the Bucks, winning that battle 48-44. Also, they totaled 28 assists while only allowing Milwaukee to record 18.  With three home games and eight road games remaining, the Sixers will head into Cleveland to face Kyrie Irving and the Cavaliers on Friday night.

Spencer Hawes contributed 21 points and 12 rebounds, and Evan Turner chipped in 23 of his own to go with 6 boards and 7 assists. Jrue Holiday managed to rack up 12 assists, but just 9 points on 3-12 shooting, and 8 turnovers to go along with it.

Ersan Ilyasova controlled the game on both ends of the court for the Bucks. He scored 27 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, 7 of which were offensive. Ilyasova also contributed on the defensive side with 3 steals and a block. Brandon Jennings continued to show why he is expected to make the All-Star Game as a reserve with 25 points, 7 assists, and 3 steals. Along with the contributions of Ilyasova and Jennings, Monta Ellis had an extremely efficient night, racking up 18 points on 7-10 shooting.

The Sixers continue to struggle early on in games. The Bucks led 28-18 after the first quarter, leaving the Sixers a mountain to climb once again. Milwaukee never took their foot off the pedal, scoring 55 points in both halves, never allowing the Sixers to lead at the end of a quarter. While Doug Collins’ group never did give up, and outscored the Bucks 31-27 in the 4th quarter, it was just too little, too late.

On Saturday, the New York Knicks come into the Wells Fargo Center, and look to continue their success against the Sixers and the rest of the NBA. The Memphis Grizzlies are after that. It looks like the Sixers may continue to struggle. Jrue Holiday has not been himself in back to back games, and Andrew Bynum will not be back until approximately the All-Star Break.

Sixer fans are growing impatient, and some are beginning to think this season may be a lost cause. What do you think?