The Philadelphia 76ers (0-1) opened their 2023-24 season in prime time against the Milwaukee Bucks (1-0). While more drama unfolded in the James Harden situation, the Sixers fought back from an early deficit but failed to finish the job, losing 118-117.

Let's break down the Sixers' season opener against the Bucks.

Sixers player notes:

Joel Embiid: 24 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 7 turnovers, 9-21 FG shooting

With only one preseason game under his belt, Embiid was still knocking some rust off to start the season, which is already typical for the big man.

The big man fought to get position down low often but he was still out of rhythm — even at the free-throw line, where he shot poorly. He made sure to sprinkle in a few bone-headed turnovers but eventually discovered a shooting grove later in the second quarter that he carried into the second half.

Defensively, he took Nurse's edict to get swings at blocks to heart, forcing Bucks players to take wonkier shots at the rim, which missed. Although he had just one block to show for it, he made his mark.

Tyrese Maxey: 31 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, 10-22 FG shooting

The Sixers have been building Maxey into a player who can withstand the responsibility of being a creator on offense. After an inauspicious start, he settled in and looked very comfortable as a focal point. His speed in the open court and ability to break down his defender in the half court inspire confidence that he's cut out to be a lead initiator. His aggression paid off with free throws, too — he tied his career-high in attempts.

Kelly Oubre Jr.: 27 points, 4 rebounds, 0 assists, 9-11 FG shooting

Oubre brought the microwave scoring that Sixers fans expected him to be good for, posting a super-efficient night that this game needed in order to stay close. But it's the defense that will earn him consistent playing time. Nurse entrusted him to guard Damian Lillard at times, including crunch time. Imagine hearing that when he was scooped up for a veteran minimum a month before the season opener.

Bucks player notes:

Giannis Antetokounmpo: 23 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals, 10-22 FG shooting

Antetokounmpo, as he typically does, overwhelmed his opponents with his size. The Bucks superstar asserted himself in numerous ways, including in one key way that Mike Budenholzer was often reluctant to go to: letting him guard the opponent’s best player. He matched up with Embiid more as the game went on and bodied him up. Although his shooting efficiency fell off in the fourth quarter, the Greek Freak came to play.

Damian Lillard: 39 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 9-20 FG shooting

The Bucks' new superstar started to come more alive in the second quarter with 17 points in the period and continued to come through late in the game. His perimeter shooting wasn’t lights out tonight but he weaved his way into buckets and was perfect from the free throw line. He's going to prove to be an upgrade over Jrue Holiday on offense for sure but defense is a whole different question. Having much less resistance up top is going to be something the Bucks have to figure out.

But having Dame Time to fall back on must be pretty sweet.

Game recap:

1st half:

The Sixers, as expected, started De'Anthony Melton in place of Harden along with Maxey, Embiid, Tobias Harris and P.J. Tucker while Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez and Malik Beasley surrounded Milwaukee's star duo. Middleton was put on an undisclosed minutes limit.

The Sixers' offense started off coldly. Embiid rushed a few looks while Melton and Maxey each missed their first two shots, though the process and shot selection were mostly sound, taking almost exclusively shots at the rim or from deep. Defensively, the Sixers stayed extra alert as Lillard navigated screens and Antetokounmpo darted to the hoop. Giannis didn’t let Tucker's trunk-like defense stand in his way, continuing to push the pace and draw attention inside.

Kelly Oubre Jr. and Danny Green were the first Philly subs, relieving Maxey and Tucker. Nurse staggered Maxey and Embiid's minutes, a wise decision, though Maxey picking up two fouls made the decision easier. As evidenced by a lineup decision he made later, he might not always look to stagger his stars.

Oubre made his first three shots while Green made some smart rotations on defense while feeding Oubre for a corner triple. The Sixers' ball movement looked crisper after a while, keeping it moving around the perimeter until a Bucks player had to close out haphazardly. On one such possession, Maxay caught the ball in the left corner and drove past Antetokkounmpo to score on a push shot.

When Maxey was relied on to lead the team with Embiid resting, he did what he does best: put the pedal to the medal. He drew an and-one on a floater and drew another shooting foul shortly thereafter, both committed by Cam Payne, before getting Lillard switched onto him and hitting a step-back three-ball.

Jaden Springer was the 10th man to enter the game for the Sixers, playing as a small-ball SF with two other guards. He made his presence felt with a pair of great blocks and physical energy. But the Bucks, on top of benefitting from some very friendly bounces off the rim, got out and ran — and scored, going on a 21-5 run to keep bumping their lead up. Once Maxey's flurry came and went, Philly struggled to hit their shots.

The Sixers fought back with an 11-0 run that they sparked with strong defense and trailed 63-54 at the break.

2nd half:

The Sixers' offense came out draining shots and chipping away at the deficit, getting it to two. Their lack of playmaking was quite clear without Harden and Nurse had Melton do a lot of the ball-handling in the first half, which wasn’t great. To switch it up, Philly kept the ball moving more, hunted shots earlier in the shot clock and attacked size mismatches. Antetokounmpo helped ignite Milwaukee by stripping Embiid in the post and slamming a breakaway dunk down.

However, the Sixers also worked their way to foul trouble with Tucker and Embiid each picking up their fourth foul less than five minutes into the third quarter. Antetokounpo eventually tallied his fourth foul a few minutes later. The sloppiness of this game was also apparent at the free-throw line. Neither team was efficient at converting freebies, though Lillard made all 17 of his attempts.

Early in the fourth quarter, Tucker was assessed a charge as Antetokounmpo scored over him and Nurse challenged it. Rather than Tucker getting hit with his fifth foul, the Bucks superstar got his fifth. The refs overturned the foul but made it a no-call, saving Giannis from his fifth foul but also doing the same for the guy who was guarding him all night.

Harris scored some crucial buckets to get the Sixers through some Maxeyless and Embiidless minutes. The Sixers took the lead on some free throws from Maxey and then saw Oubre make his fifth triple in six attempts, giving them a four-point edge after previously being down by 19. Embiid notched a finger-wagging stop on an Antetokounmpo drive that kickstarted the fast break and dished it to Oubre, passing up a good shot for a great one. Oubre then stole the ball and tacked on a layup after a timeout.

The Bucks tied it up, lost the lead then got it back off of a Lillard triple. An Antetokounmpo and-one and three freebies from Lillard contributed to a 16-2 run that put them up six, though they were aided by a badly missed traveling call. Maxey and Embiid didn’t let the Sixers fall too far behind but it wasn’t enough. A fall-away, off-the-glass triple from Melton only cut down the deficit one last time.

Random thoughts:

  • Many may think the Sixers' season started at 7:36 PM EST, the time the game tipped off, but it actually started at 4:51 when Woj reported that the team was under investigation by the league. The party don’t start 'til the NBA walks in, baby.
  • Brian Anderson announced the Phillies' crushing final game and the Sixers' first one. A lot of Philly fans weren’t thrilled about it. He jokingly apologized about it.

The Sixers will stay on the road and face the Toronto Raptors on Saturday in Nick Nurse's return to the North.