Antetokounmpo and Lillard Shine as Bucks Defeat Injury-Riddled 76ers
Damian Lillard scored a game-high 30 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 25 points as the Milwaukee Bucks ruined the Philadelphia 76ers' home opener, 124-109. Lillard also had nine rebounds and six assists, while Antetokounmpo led both teams in rebounding (14) and assists (seven). The Bucks shot 43-80 (.538) from the field while holding the 76ers to 41-98 (.418) field goal shooting. Tyrese Maxey led the 76ers with 25 points, but he shot just 10-31 from the field. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 21 points, while Andre Drummond had 10 points and a team-high 13 rebounds. Drummond, a four-time NBA rebounding champion (2016, 2018-20), ranks first among active players (and 14th all-time) with a 12.4 rpg career average, and he started in place of the perpetually injured Joel Embiid.
This game was much more about who did not play then how effectively either team played. Embiid is expected to miss at least the next two games, and he publicly stated that he may sit out at least one game in each back to back scenario for the rest of his career. Prior to last season, the NBA instituted a Player Participation Policy stipulating harsher penalties for load management and it has been reported that the league office is investigating how the 76ers are handling Embiid's situation. Some NBA players--including Embiid--have complained about the Player Participation Policy, to which I say that the NBA should only scrap the Player Participation Policy if the players agree to give up guaranteed contracts and instead be paid only when they show up for work, which is the reality for most jobs.
During TNT's pregame show on NBA Opening Night, Shaquille O'Neal said of Embiid, "In order to win a championship you have to give yourself to the game." Embiid missed every game in the first two seasons of his NBA career, he has never played more than 68 games in a season, and he has played 66 games or less in seven of the last eight seasons. Wrapping Embiid in amber to preserve him for the playoffs not only cheats the fans who purchase tickets to see him to play in regular season games but it prevents the 76ers from developing the chemistry and continuity that is required to win a championship.
Paul George, the 76ers' biggest offseason acquisition, missed this game
due to a bone bruise in his left knee that he suffered during the
preseason. He will be reevaluated later this week. George is not as injury-prone as Embiid, but he played 56 games or less in each of the four seasons prior to last season, when he played in 74 games after the NBA enacted the Player Participation Policy.
Khris Middleton did not play for Milwaukee as he recovers from offseason procedures on both of his ankles. He was durable during the first portion of his career through 2021 when he helped the Bucks win the NBA title, but in the past three years he has been dogged by injuries.
The Bucks and 76ers both lost in the first round of the playoffs last season. Embiid has never led the 76ers past the second round of the playoffs, while the Bucks have not advanced past the second round since their 2021 championship season. Both teams talk about winning the 2025 NBA title, but talk is cheap and it remains to be seen if these teams will do what is necessary to win a championship; for the 76ers, that means taking the regular season seriously, and for the Bucks that means committing to playing elite defense, which has been a problem ever since the Bucks fired Coach Mike Budenholzer and swapped defensive stalwart Jrue Holiday for defensive sieve Damian Lillard.
Labels: Damian Lillard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Milwaukee Bucks, Paul George, Philadelphia 76ers, Tyrese Maxey
posted by David Friedman @ 9:04 AM
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