The Philadelphia 76ers tipped off their 2023-24 season with an away matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks. The result was a narrow 118-117 victory for the home team. The game provided 76ers fans with plenty of takeaways, clarifying some offseason inquiries.
Four Takeaways From the Philadelphia 76ers’ 2023 Season Opener
Philly Has a Chip on Their Shoulder
From tipoff, it was clear that the 76ers were the inferior team. They fell behind several times throughout the game; however, even when things were not going the 76ers’ way, the team showed no signs of laying their swords down.
During an October 24th pre-season interview, Tobias Harris said, “It’s a hard-working group of guys that want to win. If we go down the whole roster, everybody has something to prove.”
The team wants hard work and resiliency to be their identity. That was seen in the first game of the year. At one point in the second quarter, Philadelphia was down by 19 points. They cut that deficit to nine at halftime and took the lead with a little more than four minutes left in the game. About two minutes later, Milwaukee would again find themselves up by nine points, but Philly continued to fight until the final buzzer.
The 76ers’ refusal to quit when many other teams would have emphasizes that they are a team with a chip on their shoulder.
Joel Embiid Has Help
Joel Embiid has been the face of the 76ers for about a decade now. Philadelphia’s previous squads have lacked depth, but in the first game of the season, it was evident that this team is deep and has players who can play well alongside Embiid.
Tyrese Maxey was a star on night one. In a little more than 40 minutes of playing time, the 23-year-old logged 31 points. He confidently shot the ball and did not shy away from attacking the rim. On a night that Embiid was not himself, Maxey stepped up and showed that he could be a viable co-star to his center.
Kelly Oubre Jr. was the Sixers’ second leading scorer; he posted 27 points and made nine of his 11 field goal attempts. Oubre Jr. will be a critical part of Philadelphia’s rotation moving forward, as he was the first man off the bench and logged about 32 minutes. He was one of two players on his team to make 100% of his free throw attempts. He may be the best sixth man Philadelphia has had in years.
Overall, the 76ers moved the ball coherently and played at a fast pace. Nick Nurse’s coaching philosophy is to have his starters play big minutes, and his veteran players did not seem fazed. Harris, Patrick Beverley, and P.J. Tucker all showed they could still give their team quality scoring and defense.
The Bucks Are a Better Team
Despite the 76ers’ efforts to keep the game close, the fact of the matter is that the Bucks were on the verge of blowing them out several times. Had Milwaukee been able to make more than 69% of their free throws, they probably would have won by double-digits.
Philadelphia showed strong man-to-man defence on the Bucks’ first possession of the game. That did not last long, as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard took over to combine for 62 points. When those two were not scoring, Philly could not stop Milwaukee’s three-point shooters from doing their damage. The 76ers looked inferior to a Bucks team coming off an active offseason.
Philadelphia Needs a Difference-Maker
While the 76ers showed up and battled in Milwaukee, the James Harden saga shadowed over the team the entire night. Based on what the team showed in game one, they can only be competitive at best without another star. In terms of being contenders, they either need Harden back or somebody who can fill the void he has created.
At the end of the day, the team that had Lillard was the one that won this game. Lillard scored 39 points in his Bucks debut and showed that he automatically makes Milwaukee a legitimate title contender. The 76ers need a Lillard-like difference-maker to compete with teams like the Bucks.
