On the second night of the 2024-25 NBA season, two Eastern Conference juggernauts collided for their first major test of the year. On one side was the new-look 76ers, who have championship aspirations this season with Joel Embiid and Paul George. On the other side was the Milwaukee Bucks, who made a statement with their 124-109 win tonight.
The story of the night was the poor shooting from the Sixers. Without some major players on the board, the reserves were left to prove themselves and most of them failed to step up. As a team, the 76ers shot just 41% from the field (24.2% on threes), compared to the Bucks who shot 53.8%. The Bucks were very comfortable in their offense with 26 assists in total (17 for the 76ers).
Together, Giannis Antetokounmpo (25 points, 8-11 FG) and Damian Lillard (30 points, 9-19 FG) combined for 55 points in the game to lead the Bucks to an impressive blowout victory in hostile territory. Bobby Portis Jr. and Pat Connaughton were the leading bench players for the Bucks, combining for 20 points. It was an impressive all-around display and proof that the Bucks can beat any team in the league when they’ve got it together.
“Damian Lillard looks like Portland Dame this season and the league should be terrified,” warned one Bucks fan after the game.
On the other side, the 76ers just couldn’t keep up without their two best players. Fresh off coming together this summer, neither Embiid nor George could make tonight’s opener and it’s a sour way to start a season that appeared so hopeful just a few weeks ago.
“I wonder how long the Sixers gonna put up with their guys not playing and they getting beat by 30 when they not there,” wrote one fan after watching the blowout.
Embiid (30) missed the game tonight as part of his ongoing “injury management” routine and Paul George is out for the next week with a bone bruise in his left knee. For a 76ers team that has constantly come up short, early season injuries are the last things fans wanted to see and it could jeopardize the entire operation considering the team’s lack of depth.
“If it’s one thing Philly has done well tonight it’s been hitting shots at the end of the quarter… too bad they’re still down 16,” posted a disgruntled fan on X. “If Embiid and [Paul George] miss more then 20 games a piece this year this team is f****d!”
Tyrese Maxey did what he could as the team’s de-facto leader on offense and he was able to contribute 21 points in 33 minutes on the floor. Kelly Oubre Jr. also played well with 21 points as the starting small forward. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the others, who struggled to shoot the ball all night long.
Of course, this type of performance is to be expected when your best players are not in uniform and the fact that Embiid is slated to miss three games in the opening week alone is a bad omen for their season. He even has plans to sit out all back-to-backs for the rest of the season and beyond.
“Sixers regular season seems like is going to be brutal to watch,” wrote a loyal Philadelphia sports fan on X. “They look like they will be fine with Embiid playing 45 games. I’m positive this will go well!”
As a 7x All-Star, MVP, and 2x scoring leader, Joel Embiid is surely good enough to get the 76ers to the depths of the NBA playoffs. But so far, Embiid’s body just hasn’t held up and neverending setbacks have limited his team’s success.
Last season, despite averaging 34.7 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game, he couldn’t win the MVP for only playing 39 games. He didn’t have much success in the playoffs, either, after he watched his team get bounced in the first round.
This campaign, after signing Paul George to a 4-year, $211 million contract, the hope was that the 76ers could finally have a breakthrough in the East and go on their first Finals run since 2001. But for that to happen, they’ll need good health and strong chemistry between their stars, two things that have eluded them since before the modern era.
If Paul George and Joel Embiid keep missing games at this rate, there will be no hope for the 76ers to compete with the likes of the Bucks, Celtics, and New York Knicks in the East. And after years of going from one star to another, 76ers fans are tired of the heartbreak. They will lose patience quickly with this season if the losses start to pile up and you could even start to feel the pressure tonight after the very first loss.
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