3 observations after Sixers struggle in opener, lose to Bucks without Embiid and George originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

No star trio, no opening night win at Wells Fargo Center for the 2024-25 Sixers.

Under both Joel Embiid (left knee injury management) and Paul George (left knee bruise), the Sixers dropped their first game of the season on Wednesday, falling to a 124-109 loss to the Bucks.

Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo had 25 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists. Damian Lillard recorded 30 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

Tyrese Maxey led the Sixers with 25 points. He went just 10 for 31 from the field. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 21 points.

Here are observations on the Sixers’ loss to the Bucks:

Improvised setups for the opener

Opening night for Sixers head coach Nick Nurse was Maxey, Eric Gordon, Oubre, KJ Martin and Andre Drummond.

The nurse had appreciated Caleb Martin’s energy off the bench during pre-season and stuck with him as an integral substitute in the opener, playing the 29-year-old forward for 37 minutes. To start the second half, Nurse had Caleb Martin (12 points, nine rebounds) replace KJ Martin in the Sixers’ lineup.

Maxey scored the Sixers’ first hoop of the season on a step-back three-pointer late in the shot clock. He missed a number of close-range looks in the first quarter and started 2 for 10 from the floor, though he capped the first nicely with a tricky buzzer-beating layup.

Despite their offensive struggles, the Sixers still managed to build a modest early lead. There wasn’t much to like about the Sixers’ offense in the first quarter — little fluidity, not much of the smooth, purposeful pace that Nurse had emphasized in the preseason — but their role players generally did a decent job.

The Sixers played solid team defense, didn’t commit any turnovers in the first period and started strong on the offensive glass. Drummond and KJ Martin scored on put-back layups. Caleb Martin came in and grabbed an offensive board shortly after coming on for KJ Martin, who unsurprisingly committed two fouls in his first five minutes as Antetokounmpo’s guard.

A ton on Maxey’s shoulders

Maxey started well in the second quarter, hitting a floater and a baseline mid-range jumper.

However, he was continually frustrated by the lack of foul calls on his drives. Last season’s Most Improved Player made 18 field goals before shooting a free throw.

Kyle Lowry (13 points, six assists) was the Sixers’ lone guard on Wednesday. Caleb Martin and Guerschon Yabusele were the only two other bench players Nurse used until Ricky Council IV entered the third quarter with the Sixers trailing by 18 points. Jared McCain made his NBA debut with the game out of reach late in the fourth, getting two buckets with a mid-range jumper and a put-back lay-in. Adem Bona also converted a debut layup.

Yabusele drained a corner three on his first shot as a Sixer.

When Drummond fouled out and Yabusele slid to center, rim protection and defensive rebounding became significantly more challenging for the Sixers. The 6-for-8 Yabusele is physically strong, but he is not a true backline defender.

The Sixers’ short rotation meant they needed quality minutes from all of their starters. Oubre didn’t provide that during a rough stretch midway through the second quarter. Bobby Portis stole his accidental dribble handoff attempt and came in for a layup. Back-to-back Taurean Prince threes extended Milwaukee’s lead to 51-39.

As a team, the Sixers missed 18 of their first 21 three-point attempts. With Maxey well below his standard in efficiency and no other stars available, the Sixers certainly needed better results in that area.

No good answers for Bucks star power

Several Sixers were quick to make mistakes in their attempts to contain Antetokounmpo. Drummond and Yabusele were both whistled for their fifth personal fouls early in the fourth quarter. Yabusele ended up fouling out.

While the Sixers have occasionally been effective when corralling Antetokoumpo from the post or hindering his multi-body attacks, he is extremely difficult for any individual defender to handle. And the Bucks didn’t even have to rely much on Antetokounmpo as their lead grew in the third quarter. Milwaukee’s drive-and-kick game started to boil. So did Lillard, who made four 3-pointers in the third.

The Sixers looked deflated and their level of play dropped on both sides: rushed possession in half the pitch with minimal ball movement, clear defensive failures, etc.

To their credit, the Sixers recovered early in the fourth quarter. They fought on defense, forced turnovers, scored in transition and cut the Bucks advantage to 107-95. However, Milwaukee quickly regained a comfortable lead.

Three stars sounds like a luxury on paper, but the Sixers will still need to pick up wins this season with Embiid and George on the sidelines. They’ll give it a second chance against the Raptors on Friday night in Toronto.