Despite having Elton Brand leave the game in the third quarter because of a dislocated right shoulder, the 76ers (11-14) won for the second straight time under interim coach Tony DiLeo.

Guard Louis Williams came off the bench to score 25 points, tying his career best, and made three critical baskets late in the final quarter.

"Once Brand was out, they just had more energy-type players in there and weren't focused on getting the ball inside as much," said Bucks center Andrew Bogut. "They outhustled us, outrebounded us and outplayed us."

Bucks coach Scott Skiles said he saw the warning signs early, despite his team bolting to an 11-2 lead and holding a 53-46 advantage at halftime.

"We were heavy-legged, slow-footed and couldn't get up and down the floor," Skiles said. "We had tremendous difficulty guarding them. We looked disorganized, and it was a terrible departure from the way we played the other night (in a road victory over Miami). We got exactly what we deserved."

The 76ers trailed, 73-63, when Bucks guard Charlie Bell sank a three-pointer with 1:17 left in the third quarter, but the Bucks missed nine straight field goal attempts before Richard Jefferson finally scored a basket with 4:17 remaining.

The Bucks were outscored, 26-15, in the fourth quarter.

76ers point guard Andre Miller finished with 19 points, and 6-foot-10 rookie forward Marreese Speights provided a spark with 12 points and seven rebounds. Reggie Evans had nine rebounds while playing 18 minutes as the 76ers' reserves accounted for 49 points and 24 rebounds.

"They continued to get long rebounds and push it up the court, and we didn't do a good job of getting back," Bell said. "They're one of the most athletic teams in the league, and when they get out in the open court, they're hard to guard.

"In the half-court, I think we did a good job. But our transition game was terrible tonight."

The 76ers held a 20-10 advantage in fast-break points and outscored the Bucks in the paint, 50-34.

Speights scored off a pinpoint lob from Miller, giving the 76ers an 86-81 lead. But the Bucks were able to tie the score at 86 when Bell stole the ball from Andre Iguodala near midcourt and converted a three-point play.

Williams responded with three straight baskets to give the 76ers a 92-86 edge, while Bogut missed two shots and Jefferson and Michael Redd each missed one for the Bucks.

The 76ers crowded Redd at the three-point line and limited him to six points on 2-of-13 shooting, although he had eight rebounds and five assists.

"I never really got in a rhythm tonight at all," Redd said. "But that's a game we still should have won. We just should have finished the game off, and we didn't do a good job of that."

Bell and point guard Luke Ridnour had 14 points each to pace the Bucks (11-16), while Luc Richard Mbah a Moute added 13 points.

"We played good in spurts, but we just didn't have enough energy tonight," Ridnour said. "That's a tough loss for us.

"We didn't get back well enough, and we also didn't push it back at them well enough. We didn't get enough easy baskets. They've had a lot of changes, and we knew it was going to be a tough game. But at the same time, we could have won that game."

Skiles was befuddled after his team's solid performance in Miami was followed by a lethargic effort.

"For whatever reason, we just didn't feel like it tonight," Skiles said. "It's very disappointing. You kind of feel like you're back to square one. It's not acceptable.

"Our ball movement was not crisp tonight. We had a lot of guys holding the ball. Even though we didn't turn it over a bunch of times, we weren't sharp with the ball."

Bell said the Bucks have to learn from the painful defeat.

"You can definitely tell that the most energetic team out there was the Philadelphia 76ers," Bell said.

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