Sixers no match for Milwaukee Bucks in season opener without Joel Embiid and Paul George
The Sixers fell 124-109 to the Bucks and trailed most of the night as Bucks stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard outclassed the undermanned team.
The 76ers are outwardly optimistic.
Despite being without All-Stars Joel Embiid and Paul George, their teammates still believe they can have success to start this season.
“It’s all about individually knowing your role, and trying to do your best,” Eric Gordon said. “And also, getting yourself acclimated even more with the team. Because when guys are out, you always have to worry about the long term of it all.
“I know PG and Embiid are out. But we have to worry about the long-term goal and understanding we are still going to have a good team throughout the year.”
» READ MORE: Sources: NBA likely to investigate Sixers’ decision to sit Joel Embiid for season opener
But in the short term, the Sixers look like a team in trouble. The undermanned squad suffered a 124-109 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in Wednesday’s season opener at the Wells Fargo Center.
Bucks All-Star point guard Damian Lillard made six three-pointers en route to a game-high 30 points to go with nine rebounds and six assists. Lillard scored 15 of his points while going 4-for-4 on three-pointers in the third quarter. Following his lead, the Bucks made 9 of 12 three-pointers in the quarter to build a commanding 22-point lead.
Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo added 25 points, 14 rebounds, and seven assists. Brook Lopez notched a game-high six blocks to go with 10 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Taurean Prince (16 points) and sixth-man Bobby Portis (16) also scored double-digits.
Tyrese Maxey paced the Sixers with 25 points. However, the All-Star point guard made just 10 of 31 shots and went 2-for-9 on three-pointers. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 21 points. Andre Drummond (10 points, 13 rebounds) and reserves Kyle Lowry (13 points), Caleb Martin (12 points, nine rebounds, three assists), and Guerschon Yabusele (10 points) were the Sixers’ other double-digit scorers.
The Sixers were doomed on this night by poor shooting and lackluster perimeter defense.
They shot 41.8% — including missing 23 of 31 three-pointers — while the Bucks shot 16-for-37 from beyond the three-point line. This night was supposed to look different for the Sixers, but they were no match for the Bucks without George and Embiid. George was sidelined with a left-knee bone bruise, while Embiid missed the game for what the Sixers called left-knee injury management.
The All-Star center will remain sidelined for the upcoming road trip against the Toronto Raptors (Friday) and the Indiana Pacers (Sunday). He will be reevaluated this weekend.
Meanwhile, George will continue on-court activities this week. The Sixers want to see him practice a couple of times before his return. The matchup against the Pacers would be an ideal date to return.
Without their duo, the Sixers went with a starting lineup of Oubre, KJ Martin, Drummond, Gordon, and Maxey.
“You guys are probably asking Caleb Martin, where would he be in there?” coach Nick Nurse said before the game. “And he’s certainly one of our top five players without a doubt. I just like the feel of his energy off the bench so far from what he’s given us.”
Caleb Martin still played starter minutes. Nurse even inserted him in the starting lineup at the beginning of the second half. He’s expected to have a key role in the Sixers rotation even after Embiid and George return.
But on Wednesday, much of the attention on the Sixers shaded away from the court and shifted toward the NBA preparing to investigate the franchise later this week. The league will be looking for possible violations of the league’s player participation policy.
The team has also been criticized for not being transparent about Embiid’s injury. And Nurse was asked for the second day if Embiid reinjured his knee while participating in the Paris Olympics.
“The [ramp-up] plan is why he’s not playing,” Nurse said. “He did not reinjure himself. But the plan is we don’t feel like he’s quite ready, strong enough, light enough. Whatever it is that they’ve determined that he’s not quite ready to go. He hasn’t been in any full-court scrimmages, etcetera. And that’s the plan.”