The Philadelphia 76ers opened their regular season with… well, what looked an awful lot like the first game of a new season as the shorthanded Sixers fell 124-109 to the Milwaukee Bucks

The Sixers were without Joel Embiid (injury management) and Paul George (left knee contusion) after both were ruled out for the team’s season opener. Nevertheless, the show must go on, as always.

Despite missing two star-caliber players, Philadelphia looked good. Strong offensive rebounding helped the Sixers take a one-point lead after the first frame. However, the dam started to break in the second inning, with the Bucks starting to pile on the runs and the Sixers struggling to get their shots falling. Milwaukee held an eleven-point lead at halftime, and things only got uglier in the third as the Bucks continued to shoot out the lights, especially from long range, to take a more than twenty-point lead.

The Sixers made a push in the fourth to cut the deficit, but were never able to make a real run that would create a real threat of a comeback.

Sixers shot terribly in this one, shooting just 41.8% field goals (41-for-98) and 25.8% from three-point range (8-for-31). By comparison, the Bucks shot 53.8% FGs (43-for-80) and 43.2% 3PTs (16-for-37). Hard to win a game with that disparity when you’re Philadelphia, no matter who’s on the field.

For a full summary of the game, check out ours here!

The Sixers (again without Embiid, who has already been ruled out) hit the road for the first time this season on Friday night when they head to Canada to take on the Toronto Raptors.

Until then, we’re off to our first whistleblower of the 2024-2025 season! To be honest, no one really killed it tonight. Here are a few guys who looked, shall we say, the most promising.

Tyrese Maxey: 25 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

We started the season with the first points of the campaign for the Sixers: a step-back triple. It’s a move Maxey seems to have been working on since James Harden was his teammate, and he’s only getting better at it. Maxey’s improved availability to control his speed and maneuver his momentum draws defenders into the arc before stuttering his way out for a comfortable three-point opportunity. It’s just one of the ways his improved strength and stability with his feet and body has accelerated his competitive season as a goal scorer.

Maxey’s shooting line took off a lot of However, left to be desired: just 32.3% field goal shooting (10-for-31) and 22.2% from three-point range (2-for-9). That said, he’s finding plenty of good shooting opportunities and not forcing as much as he did earlier in his career, even as he tries to fill the void left by the Sixers’ two missing stars. Nick Nurse wants Maxey to shoot, and that’s what he did. I just have to hope that as the season progresses, the shots start to fall a little more.

(And hopefully a fair whistle to send him to the line more? Please.)

Maxey finished Wednesday’s game leading the Sixers with 25 points. He also had six rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block.

Andre Drummond: 10 points, 13 rebounds (5 offensive)

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

A nice double-double to start the season for Drummond, starting in place of Embiid!

It’s night and day for the Sixers to have someone like Drummond fighting on the glass when Embiid isn’t on the floor. The whole reason the Sixers were in this game early in the first quarter was because of good rebounding, especially on the offensive end. After one frame, Drummond already had seven boards. Midway through the second period, he had 10 rebounds in just 12 minutes. He finished with 13, five of which came on the offensive side.

His rim protection was honestly fine in this one – the problem was that it was ultimately irrelevant. Given the way the Bucks were sinking threes, what happened in the paint was an afterthought.

The biggest problem with Drummond playing starting minutes like he did tonight is that he doesn’t score exactly like Embiid, especially when he tries to do it through a guy like Brook Lopez. Still, Drummond scored 10 points on 4-for-8 field goals tonight.

Guerschon Yabusele: 10 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals

Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

It’s really hard not to root for Yabusele. He has been out of the NBA since 2019 and played internationally until he turned heads with his performance for France at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. He looked good in the preseason, but many of those games aren’t exactly full-strength NBA competition. Tonight was a big test for the player once affectionately known as “The Dancing Bear.”

I’d say he passed with flying colors. Every time Yabu came off the bench, he made an impact on both ends of the floor. Yabusele scored his first NBA points in five years just two minutes after entering the game. From there he was off to the races: aggressive at the plate, active on defense, comfortable setting screens and taking advantage of smart opportunities to score or make an assist. For a guy who hasn’t played in this league in a while, he was a great fit with some of the best big guys the club has to offer.

Yabu finished with 10 points (4-for-8 FG), four rebounds, three assists and three steals.

His main problem was fouls. Yabusele ended up fouling out with just over four minutes left in the game, but that’s understandable at this point in the season since he’s probably back to defending himself a bit against NBA players.

Kelly Oubre Jr.: 21 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

This was a beautiful Oubre evening by the book. Lots of energy, good for a nice series of goals, with a little bit of inefficient shooting in it. It’s just who he is. He creates his own opportunities with the ball when the Sixers’ offense is stagnant, which is exactly when they need him most. He hit some big buckets in this one as the Sixers held on for dear life and even tried to mount a small comeback late. Oubre finished just behind Maxey in terms of scoring for the Sixers with 21 points (8-for-18 FG shooting) with two rebounds and an assist.

Speaking of that assist, it’s nice to see that Oubre already has good synergy with guys like Andre Drummond, who he set up perfectly for the alley-oop below.

Kyle Lowry: 13 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

Having Lowry on the floor for his 19th season in the NBA is like having a coach on the court for the Sixers. When Lowry is in control of the ball, he is constantly organizing the attack in real time when the team starts to get sloppy or needs to get things moving, and it pays off. He knows where his teammates need to be and helps them get there before passing them the ball to finish. That’s why he led the Sixers with six assists tonight. In addition to that veteran playmaking presence, Lowry also knocked down a trio of triples to try to keep the Sixers in this one. He finished with 13 points on 4-of-7 field goal shooting.

Lowry just seemed to struggle a bit defensively, especially when the Bucks made a barrage of shots from the perimeter. But all in all, not a terrible showing from the vet.