Sixers news: Season opener ends with 124-109 loss; NBA to look into Joel Embiid's absence

The Sixers put up a decent fight in the first half thanks to a strong effort from Tyrese Maxey, but ultimately, the Bucks were too much for the Sixers, down Joel Embiid and Paul George, to overcome, falling 124-109 in the season opener. Damian Lillard led all scorers with 30 and Giannis Antentokounmpo scored 25.

Without Embiid and George, Maxey led the Sixers with 25 points and some slick moves, including a buzzer-beating layup, and Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 21 as the second option. The team shot just 41.8% from the field and 25.8% from three-point range.

The Sixers’ two NBA Draft selections, Jared McCain and Adem Bona, both made their NBA debuts late in the fourth quarter, and both scored their first career points.

The 76ers' season opener didn't go according to plan for many fans in Philly.

Joel Embiid and Paul George were out. Tyrese Maxey put forth a valiant effort but fell short of his typical brilliance. And the Sixers' new additions were underwhelming without their two biggest stars to orbit.

So it should be no wonder that fans headed for the parking lot as their team trailed 113-97 with four minutes left in the fourth quarter.

After a fast start that included 15 first-half points, Damian Lillard went a little quiet for spell.

The Milwaukee Bucks point guard appeared content to let Giannis Antetokounmpo and his teammates drive the action.

That changed as their Wednesday game against the 76ers waded deeper into the third quarter.

Former Sixers coach Doc Rivers didn’t need a crystal ball to make a bold prediction ahead of Wednesday night’s season opener at the Wells Fargo Center.

It wasn’t even his nearly 40 years of NBA experience that helped Rivers, now in his first full season leading the Milwaukee Bucks, guarantee an outcome against the Sixers.

It was his personal connection to Sixers center Andre Drummond.“You know, he thinks he's a great passer,” Rivers said during a pregame press conference. “You know, he's going to throw a back cut pass today; 100% guaranteed. Hopefully it doesn't get through. Otherwise he'll stare at me.”

Nick Nurse believes that Jared McCain could, in time, carve out a spot for him to receive valuable minutes, but there’s some learning curves the rookie still needs to adjust to, especially on the defensive end.

“The biggest thing he has is a tremendous amount of confidence,” Nurse added. “He is not afraid out there. He is not afraid to pull the trigger. Might over pull the trigger a little bit, but that’s always better.

“The size and athleticism are another step up, but learning where you’re supposed to be and how to play schemes and do all that stuff — takes some time.”

While Tyrese Maxey, Andre Drummond, and Kelly Oubre Jr. come as no surprise as starters in the season opener, Nick Nurse decided to fill the last two spots in the lineup with forwards Eric Gordon and KJ Martin Jr.

“We like Eric for spacing and shooting,” said Nurse prior to the game. “KJ had a great fall, we like his kind of defensive abilities. He also gets to the basket and offensive rebounds [are] good.

"The big question you’re probably asking is Caleb Martin — ‘Why wouldn’t he be in there?’ He is certainly one of our top five players, without a doubt, just like the feel of his energy off the bench so far of what he’s given us. … Probably going to play starter minutes.”

Nick Nurse didn’t have much to say.

The 76ers coach was asked about the NBA likely beginning an investigation later this week into Joel Embiid’s player participation.

“Listen, I don’t have any thoughts on it,” the Sixers coach said before Wednesday’s season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Wells Fargo Center. “Nobody from our organization has said anything to me about that. So, as far as the investigation, I don’t really know.”

The 76ers haven‘t been short on talent during the Joel Embiid era, yet they‘ve failed to make good on that ability in the postseason. Could that change this year? Will they advance beyond the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2001? Win a title for the first time since 1983? Here's how far our Sixers beat writers think the team will go ...

Keith Pompey

Regular-season record: 51-31

The NBA will likely begin an investigation later this week into 76ers center Joel Embiid’s player participation, a league score confirmed. ESPN was first to report the news.

All this comes after the 2023 MVP didn’t play in games or scrimmage during practice this preseason due to “ramping up” his left knee. On Tuesday, the Sixers announced that Embiid would miss this week’s games for what the team termed left knee injury management.

The Sixers open the season Wednesday night against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Wells Fargo Center. Then they’ll cap off the week with a pair of road games against the Toronto Raptors (Friday) and Indiana Pacers (Sunday).

The 76ers will be without Joel Embiid and Paul George in their season opener, but the former MVP center's absence has garnered the lion's share of the attention.

And NBA legends and Inside the NBA analysts Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal were two of the loudest voices on the matter, taking issue with Embiid being unavailable against the Milwaukee Bucks and the Sixers' plan to load manage him this season.

Embiid, who hasn't scrimmaged or played in preseason games, is said to be on schedule but resting his left knee, a designation that also caused some confusion locally.

Jared McCain says he feels great – now.

“It was definitely a few days where I was struggling,” the 76ers rookie said with a smile Wednesday morning. “But now I feel back to normal.”

McCain was referring to the bruised lungs he suffered late in last week’s exhibition game against the Brooklyn Nets. After resting for several days, McCain was cleared to make his NBA debut in Wednesday’s season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Former Sixers player and 11-time All-Star Charles Barkley is not a fan of Joel Embiid’s load management plan. Barkley joined host Colt Knost on SiriusXM's PGA Tour Radio ahead of the Sixers' season opener against the Bucks on Wednesday night to discuss the center’s plan.

“I'm not happy with that. I'm not happy with that at all,” Barkley said. “It bothers me a lot. I mean, the guy is making close to $70 million. He just signed an extension. And No. 1, it's kind of crapping on the fans. I mean, I'm pretty sure steel workers and people like that don't want to go to work. Guys who work in construction, guys who work paving our streets and things like that, I'm pretty sure they don't want to go to work sometimes, but they go to work every day for chump change. Not being disrespectful, not a lot of money. I don't think a guy making $65-70 million a year, can't play basketball three, maybe four days a week. I don't like it at all."

Embiid sat out all six preseason games as he rested his left knee, and he will not play in back-to-back games this season. Embiid’s long injury history limited him to only 39 games last season because of a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee. After his return toward the end of the season, he was still limited during the team’s first-round loss to the New York Knicks.

The Sixers are without their best two players as Joel Embiid and Paul George will both sit out the team’s Wednesday season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks.

But rookie Jared McCain, who suffered his own injury in the Sixers’ Oct. 16 preseason game against the Brooklyn Nets, is available after taking a hard fall that led to bruising in his lungs.

McCain knows he’ll likely play more with the Sixers’ stars out, but he’s hoping to have his teammates back as soon as possible.

In a premiere free agency move, nine-time All-Star Paul George signed a four-year, $212 million contract to join the Sixers. His scoring touch was on display during his preseason debut against the Minnesota Timberwolves — scoring a team-high 23 points, six rebounds, and two assists. George felt good in the 26 minutes he logged.

George unfortunately suffered a bone bruise when he hyperextended his left knee during his second preseason game in Atlanta.

The six-time All-NBA selection gave an update on his knee status in the latest episode of The Podcast P.

Paul George cannot remember the specific year or city. But while walking to the arena’s makeshift stage to rehearse All-Star player introductions, he and Joel Embiid organically wound up next to each other.

“I wasn’t talking to nobody. He wasn’t talking to nobody,” George recalled last week to The Inquirer. “… And it was just like, ‘Hey, what’s up?’ We got to talking.”

So it actually did not all start with the side-eye, as 76ers owner Josh Harris quipped during the July news conference to introduce George as his team’s flashy free-agency addition. That walk helped ignite a self-described “secret” friendship between two self-described NBA introverts, whose conversations at future All-Star weekends became deeper and more vulnerable.

As fans gear up for the NBA season, 76ers star Tyrese Maxey joined Good Morning America on Tuesday to discuss his preparation leading into the campaign.

Last season, the Sixers were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round by the New York Knicks in a physical six-game series. In Game 6, Maxey’s and-one tied the score at 111 with 34.9 seconds left. But that set the stage for former Villanova guard Josh Hart to take back control for the Knicks with a wide-open three-pointer — eliminating the Sixers at the Wells Fargo Center.

During the offseason, Maxey trained to ensure an early playoff exit doesn’t happen again.

Will the 76ers live up to their lofty expectations?

That’s one of the biggest questions the franchise faces heading into this season. Oddsmakers have the Sixers winning around 52 regular-season games and landing third in the Eastern Conference behind the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks.

But come playoff time, the assumption is that the Sixers will elevate their play and be in position to win their first NBA title in more than four decades. The team returns two stars in 2023 MVP Joel Embiid and All-Star Tyrese Maxey. The Sixers also signed nine-time All-Star Paul George and a plethora of veteran role players.

The Sixers kick off the regular season today at home against the Milwaukee Bucks that lacks a lot of excitement. 

Sixers star Joel Embiid and new acquisition Paul George won’t be on the court due to injuries, and Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo could be limited by a knee injury.

So it will be the Tyrese Maxey show tonight at the Wells Fargo Center, and Sixers fans might get a glimpse of first-round pick Jared McCain, who was not on the team’s injury report Monday.