PHILADELPHIA, PA — The Philadelphia 76ers welcomed the Milwaukee Bucks to open the 2024-2025 NBA season Wednesday night. Unfortunately for Philly fans, there was not much celebrating in the team’s return.
Opening night for the Sixers did not have the same fanfare as previous seasons. While a superstar missing for the first game of the season is nothing new in recent years for Philadelphia, that superstar being Joel Embiid is a fresh wound for the fanbase. In each season that Embiid has played in so far, he has appeared in the season opener. Compound the loss of the former MVP with the absence of Paul George, who is still recovering from a bone bruise in his left knee, and the vibes understandably weren’t at the same level of years past.
Early on, the Sixers’ pace caused issues for the Bucks, who couldn’t match their tempo. Philadelphia was not hitting shots but the team was extremely active on the boards, allowing them to keep within range of the Bucks.
It seemed that all Philadelphia needed to do was find their footing offensively, and they would be able to pull away. Unfortunately, it was Milwaukee who began to roll on offense, and the Sixers would find themselves unable to stop or respond to Milwaukee’s three-point attack.
Damian Lillard led the way for Milwaukee, knocking down a barrage of shots from deep. At the same time, Giannis Antetokounmpo bullied his way into the paint at will, as he does, but especially without Joel Embiid. Brook Lopez continued to join LeBron James as the only two humans to successfully defeat Father Time, and the Sixers, through various points of the game, found themselves on the ropes in front of their home crowd.
Come the beginning of the final quarter, the Sixers would find themselves down nearly 20 with little hope of escape. Philadelphia would continue to press, getting the game back within 13, but would be unable to complete the comeback, ultimately falling to the Bucks by a final score of 124-109.
It’s no shocking revelation that the Sixers desperately missed both Paul George and Joel Embiid on the court. George may be back as soon as the next game, if not by the next home game for Philadelphia. Embiid, at the earliest, will be back for the latter game.
Throughout the season, the Sixers will be without George and Embiid. It will not always be against a team as talented as Milwaukee, but it’s an eventuality they must prepare for. They will not be able to get by with pace alone; they must find a way to improve from deep if they’re to tread water in those games.
At least Sixers fans walked away with a free eight-count piece of Chick-fil-A nuggets thanks to the always clutch “Bricken for Chicken.”
