Matthew Dellavedova's NBA return from injury failed to spark a Milwaukee side missing star Giannis Antetokounmpo against Washington.
A quiet Dellavedova was eased back into action off the bench, finishing with two points and four assists in the 107-101 home loss.
The Australian had missed the Bucks' past five games with a hamstring strain, playing a below-season average 18 minutes on Sunday (Monday AEDT).
Antetokounmpo, who trained on Saturday, was evaluated by a team doctor before the match.
"He's just sick," Bucks coach Jason Kidd said.
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"Next guy up. We have plenty of guys, so it is the next one up."
Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal led with 26 points, while Jabari Parker stepped up for the Bucks with 28 points with fellow forward Antetokounmpo on the sidelines with illness.
Meanwhile, Joel Embiid scored 20 points and Philadelphia earned their 10th victory to match their total from last season, beating the Brooklyn Nets 105-95.
The 76ers broke it open with a 17-2 surge in the fourth quarter to win the clash between the NBA's two worst teams and improve to 10-25 in their first season with former lottery picks Embiid and Dario Saric.
In other games, LeBron James scored 12 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter as the Cleveland Cavaliers fought off Phoenix down the stretch to beat the Suns 120-116.
Kyrie Irving added 27 points and Kevin Love 25 for the Cavaliers. They led by as many as 22 in the first half and 20 early in the third quarter.
Steph Curry made five three-pointers and scored 30 points as the Golden State Warriors took their first lead midway through the third quarter on the way to a 117-106 victory over the Sacramento Kings.
Kevin Durant had 28 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four blocks, and Klay Thompson added 18 points.
With their 17th straight victory after a loss, the Warriors reached 124 straight regular-season games without suffering back-to-back defeats.
JJ Redick scored 25 points to steer the Los Angeles Clippers to a 98-86 win over the Miami Heat.
In Toronto, James Harden had 40 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for his 10th triple-double of the season in the Houston Rockets' 129-122 win over the hosting Raptors.
Mike Conley had 19 points and nine assists and Marc Gasol scored 17 points to help lead the Memphis Grizzlies to an 88-79 victory over the Utah Jazz.
Julius Randle scored 19 points and rookie Brandon Ingram matched his career high with 17 in the Los Angeles Lakers' 111-95 victory over the Orlando Magic.
