Bucks C Hawes faces former team in 76ers

Milwaukee Bucks backup center Spencer Hawes, who did not see the court for over a month, will see one of his former teams on Monday night.

Hawes, acquired by the Bucks in a Feb. 2 trade from the Charlotte Hornets, was held out of his first 11 games with Milwaukee, then went scoreless while playing three minutes against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night.

On Saturday, however, he scored 16 points, two shy of his season high, while seeing 17 minutes of action in the Bucks' 101-94 victory over the Toronto Raptors.

Milwaukee (28-33), which stands 1 1/2 games out of the Eastern Conference's final playoff spot, visits the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night. Hawes, who played for Philadelphia for three-plus seasons beginning in 2010, is hoping to build on Saturday's effort.

"I've been fortunate to be in this league a long time now, and that experience teaches you ups and downs, staying ready, being a professional when your name is called," Hawes, who is in his 10th season, told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

"I think we were just playing the right way. Everybody was moving the ball. We were playing defense, first of all, and pushing the ball in transition. Everyone was touching it. ... It was just clicking."

Khris Middleton scored a season-high 24 points for the Bucks, and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 21 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.

The 7-foot-1 Hawes was, however, the difference. Coach Jason Kidd called him "a true pro" and someone who "knows how to play the game," according to the Journal-Sentinel.

"He deserves to play; they all do," Kidd added. "John (Henson) deserves to play. But in today's game, it's not played like it was in the '80s. You don't have two bigs. Going forward, there's going to be a lot of small ball being played.

"You put your best five out there. Cleveland puts their best five out there and there's no one probably taller than 6-9."

The Sixers were battered 136-106 by the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night, Philadelphia's fourth loss in five games. It was the most points the Sixers have allowed in a game this season, and the most Detroit has scored. The Pistons also shot a season-high 56.8 percent.

Philadelphia dressed only nine players. That, combined with the fact that the Sixers played the night before, represented "a perfect storm to the environment," according to coach Brett Brown.

"It's just embarrassing to get beat like that, especially on our home floor," said guard Nik Stauskas, who scored a career-high 24 points. "We've played this team well before this year, in Detroit (beating the Pistons 97-79 on Dec. 11). I thought we had a really good win against them, and we just didn't bring the energy and effort today."

The Sixers were without center Jahlil Okafor (knee), and guard Gerald Henderson (hip) missed his second straight game. Center Tiago Splitter, acquired in a Feb. 22 trade from Atlanta, has yet to play this season because of hip and calf injuries.

Bucks forward Michael Beasley has missed the last two games with a hyperextended left knee.