MILWAUKEE â€" Facing a potentially short and hectic transition from the regular season to the playoffs, the Philadelphia 76ers managed to get a win while Doug Collins rested a few of his key players.
Evan Turner scored a career-high 29 points and the 76ers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 90-85 in a playoff tune-up Wednesday night.
Jodie Meeks added 27 points for the 76ers.
"That's a good win for us," Collins said. "I'm proud of them. We have a competitiveness about us. Regardless of who plays, guys play to win."
The 76ers rested key players such as Elton Brand, Andre Iguodala, Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young.
Brandon Jennings scored 19 points for the Bucks, who were playing short-handed in their home finale. Philadelphia eliminated Milwaukee from playoff contention with a victory over New Jersey on Monday.
Jennings' right eye was pink after he got poked during Monday's game, but he still wanted to play.
"I just wanted to play because I just love the game, at the end of the day," Jennings said. "It doesn't matter to me. I get up to play basketball. It's my job. I have to still be a professional and finish the season."
The Bucks played only nine players Wednesday â€" and Jennings was the only regular starter on the court. Monta Ellis, Drew Gooden, Ersan Ilyasova, Carlos Delfino and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute all sat out.
Then Milwaukee lost forward Ekpe Udoh to knee soreness during the game.
Bucks coach Scott Skiles wasn't sure who the team might have ready for Thursday's season finale in Boston.
"Do you know, math-wise, what I could get for a 10-day (contract) if I played tomorrow night?," Skiles asked, jokingly.
Leading by four points in the fourth quarter, the 76ers went on an 8-2 run.
But the Bucks rallied, cutting the lead to three on a three-pointer by Jennings. Turner responded with a jumper as the shot clock expired on the 76ers' next possession, and Philadelphia led 86-81 with 3:09 remaining.
The Bucks had one last rally, cutting the lead to three on a jumper by Beno Udrih with 38.1 seconds left. After a miss by the 76ers, the Bucks couldn't find an open three-point shot and Shaun Livingston missed a layup.
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"The ball wasn't moving as freely as normally we would move the ball," Skiles said. "Obviously, we've got different lineups out there. We've got guys that haven't played very much. You can't be too harsh on the guys about that."
PHILADELPHIA (90)
Allen 2-6 0-0 4, Turner 13-29 2-4 29, Hawes 3-13 2-2 8, Holiday 3-7 0-0 6, Meeks 8-19 8-9 27, S.Young 2-6 1-2 5, Brackins 1-6 0-0 2, Vucevic 2-7 0-0 4, Silas 2-5 0-1 5, Battie 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 36-101 13-18 90.
MILWAUKEE (85)
Harris 7-12 1-1 15, Leuer 4-8 0-0 8, Udoh 2-4 4-4 8, Jennings 7-16 2-2 19, Livingston 1-6 0-0 2, Sanders 6-12 0-2 12, Dunleavy 5-11 0-0 12, Udrih 4-9 0-0 9, Brockman 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 36-81 7-9 85.
Philadelphia 24 21 26 19 â€" 90
Milwaukee 29 21 13 22 â€" 85
3-Point Goals â€" Philadelphia 5-16 (Meeks 3-7, Silas 1-2, Turner 1-5, Holiday 0-1, S.Young 0-1), Milwaukee 6-16 (Jennings 3-7, Dunleavy 2-5, Udrih 1-2, Harris 0-2). Fouled Out â€" None. Rebounds â€" Philadelphia 63 (Turner 13), Milwaukee 54 (Harris 13). Assists â€" Philadelphia 24 (Turner 6), Milwaukee 26 (Udrih 9). Total Fouls â€" Philadelphia 9, Milwaukee 14. A â€" 13,489 (18,717).
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