Ben Simmons, Balanced 76ers Rout Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks

As the Milwaukee Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers battled for playoff positioning in the regular-season finale at the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday night, it was supposed to be a showdown between rising stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Ben Simmons.

Instead, Simmons' supporting cast stole the show as the Sixers stretched their winning streak to 16 games with a 130-95 victory, clinching the Eastern Conference's No. 3 seed. It's the longest winning streak ever by a team heading into the playoffs, as Sixers Stats noted:

Antetokounmpo (2-0) had yet to lose to Simmons in their head-to-head matchups this season, but third time proved to be the charm for Philadelphia. This also marked the return to the court for the Greek Freak, who missed the last two games due to an ankle injury.

This game was over before either star had a chance to make an impact.

Philadelphia jumped out to a 46-18 lead in the first 12 minutes, the largest lead any team held after an opening quarter all season. A dominant first led to an eye-popping stat, courtesy of ESPN Stats & Info:

Simmons (three assists and one rebound) didn't stuff the stat sheet early on, but he didn't need to, either. 

Dario Saric, TJ McConnell and Marco Belinelli led the way, combining for 24 points and six triples in the opening quarter. Add in seven points from No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz, and it was an all-around team effort.

Want further proof? It was a 41-point game without the 2017-18 NBA Rookie of the Year favorite scoring a single point.

Brian Seltzer of Sixers.com summed up the night:

Simmons took just two shots in the first half, but he helped his team take a 36-point lead into the break with five assists and four rebounds.

Meanwhile, the Greek Freak got off to a quiet start, going just 1-of-5 for two points and four rebounds in the first quarter—and things didn't get much better. He ended the first half with six points, eight rebounds and five turnovers as his team faced a massive deficit.

With the game well in hand, there was not much need for either Simmons or Antetokounmpo to stay on the court for long in the second half.

Simmons put a bow on his first regular season with four points, seven assists and six rebounds without playing the fourth quarter. Antetokounmpo (10 points and 10 rebounds) posted a double-double in 22 minutes of work. 

Six different Sixers reached double figures, with Saric (24 points) and Justin Anderson (25) leading the way. The blowout was fueled by 15 three-pointers, including eight combined by Saric and Anderson.

Not to be overshadowed, Fultz (13 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds) recorded his first triple-double in just his 14th career game. That got a huge reaction from his teammates and led to the Philadelphia crowd chanting the rookie's name.

As ESPN Stats & Info tweeted, Fultz became the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double, breaking the mark set by No. 2 overall pick Lonzo Ball earlier this season:

Simmons and Fultz have now combined to make some history together as well, per Sixers Stats:

The loss pushed Milwaukee (44-38) down to the No. 7 seed, setting up a first-round matchup with the injury-ravaged Boston Celtics.