Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo might be the most difficult player to guard in the NBA, and it's incredibly difficult -- virtually impossible sometimes -- for a single player to stop him. The proof is in the Maurice Podoloff Trophy he hoisted this past June. However, the Philadelphia 76ers have several players capable of potentially slowing him down, and that was on full display on Christmas Day, which could work to their advantage should the two teams cross paths in the postseason.

During the Sixers' 121-109 win over the Bucks on Wednesday, Joel Embiid, Al Horford, Ben Simmons and Mike Scott all spent time guarding Antetokounmpo. The reigning NBA MVP still put up decent counting stats (18 points and 14 rebounds), but the Sixers as a team were able to largely limit his production and efficiency. Giannis shot a season-low 8 of 27 from the floor, and in turn finished well below his season average of 30.5 points per game. He also turned the ball over three times. Embiid especially made things difficult for Antetokounmpo with his combination of size, length and athleticism. The Greek Freak was limited to four points on 1 of 9 shooting while guarded by Embiid. 

Antetokounmpo is accustomed to bullying and overpowering players in the paint. But that doesn't work with Embiid, who can match his physicality and stand his ground against Antetokounmpo. 

Embiid is also quick enough on his feet to stay in front of an attacking Antetokounmpo. 

And long enough to impact Antetokounmpo's attempts near the rim in a way that most other players aren't. 

Horford, who's not as long or as athletic as Embiid, was also about to make things difficult with his own blend of size and strength. Antetokounmpo scored just six points and was 3 of 7 from the floor (0 of 3 from long range) while guarded by Horford. 

As a whole, the Sixers did a good job packing the paint against Antetokounmpo, being physical with him, and throwing a variety of bodies at him. Ultimately, Antetokounmpo became frustrated with his lack of paint production against Embiid and the Sixers, and he began settling for 3s. While he has improved that area of his game, it's still a weakness, and that was evident on Christmas Day. Antetokounmpo shot seven 3s against the Sixers, and he missed all of them. It got to the point that the Sixers were daring him to shoot: 

When a defense is shutting down Antetokounmpo's driving lanes and forcing him to become a perimeter shooter, they've done their job, and that's exactly what the Sixers did. After the game, Embiid made slowing the league's second-leading scorer sound simple; sound being the operative word. 

"I was just doing my best to stay in front of him," Embiid said. "He's just so gifted, he's fast and he's extremely athletic. I was just using my length as much as I could." 

"It's tough. He's very gifted," Horford added of Antetokounmpo. "We were very mindful of him ... It's one of those things where you need the defense to be loaded up, because one-on-one, you're not going to fare very well [against him]. Even though Joel did an unbelievable job one-on-one and taking the challenge. It was great to see. He really stepped up and was great." 

It was just one game, but given the fact that many think that the Bucks and Sixers could ultimately meet in the conference finals, it was an eye opener. The Bucks had been running through the league up to Christmas Day, but it was like they ran into a brick wall in Philadelphia. Moving forward, they'll have to figure out a way to open things up for Antetokounmpo when the two teams meet because when he's held in check, the Bucks struggle to score. The good news for Milwaukee is that they'll have three more chances to crack the code of Philadelphia's defense before any potential playoff series.