Damian Lillard led the Bucks with 30 points, while Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.

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PHILADELPHIA – The network, the league, the fans, everyone had to smile when the Bucks-Sixers announced the schedule for the second night of opening week.

Everyone was smiling until injuries to key players on both sides turned the game into a jack-o'-lantern grin, with gaps where there should have been – and probably will be in the coming days – All-Stars.

Joel Embiid (knee) and Paul George (knee) were both unavailable for Philadelphia, while Khris Middleton (bilateral ankle rehab) was out for Milwaukee. It was a tough start to the new season for every team, a difficult game to use as a benchmark.

But they played and it counted, and there were enough other things to learn a little about both teams. Here are five takeaways from the Bucks' 124-109 win on Wednesday at Wells Fargo Center:

1. From “Process” to “Plan” in Philadelphia

“The Process” gained traction in this market after the 76ers' determined fall to the bottom of the standings a decade ago, their strategy to improve lottery results and acquire future stars. It produced mixed results, but with Embiid (and Ben Simmons at times) it provided a certain quality around which the franchise has strung together seven straight playoff appearances.

Embiid was literally the centerpiece, except now the 7-foot tall player from Cameroon is enmeshed in “The Plan.” This nickname may be a little premature when it comes to Philly's staying power, but it's on everyone's lips right now:

Embiid didn't play on Wednesday, he may not play in the next few games, and he's been shut down for most of the preseason. He has not been injured during his participation in the Paris Olympics or since then, said coach Nick Nurse. That suggests the team is engaging in some sort of rehab management disguised in such a way that the NBA is reportedly investigating the matter as a potential violation of player ownership guidelines negotiated jointly by the league and the players' union.

It is difficult to thread the needle. “The plan is why he’s not playing,” Nurse said.

George is apparently suffering from a recent injury resulting from hyperextending his left knee during a training match. Some Sixers fans feel that having the guys out now is better than having them out in the spring.

However, it is doubtful that anyone who bought tickets to the opener felt this way.

2. Giannis, Dame 2.0 successfully underway

A year ago, Damian Lillard showed up on Milwaukee's doorstep to much excitement and no small amount of confusion. The season was about to begin. Then the Bucks changed coaches, fired Adrian Griffin and brought in Doc Rivers. It was hectic, it was jerky, and it ended in another first-round exit with Giannis Antetokounmpo unavailable against Indiana.

The forward and guard – both members of the NBA's top 75 elite squad – knew they would have a successful season. And what the Bucks achieved with the win in the opening game was the perfect balance: Lillard 30 points with nine rebounds and six assists, Antetokounmpo 25, 14 and seven.

A concerted effort has been made to harmonize their games, and going a little longer without Middleton might make that easier. Playing together is very different than playing at the same time.

“Things take time,” Lillard said after the win, Milwaukee’s third in three years over Philadelphia in the opening game. “You have to be comfortable. You have to have understanding. Our time last year and this summer to be in Milwaukee a little early before camp and socialize was really helpful.”

3. Maxey will take another leap this season

If anyone can take on the responsibility of leading an NBA team while two future Hall of Famers are absent, it's Sixers star Tyrese Maxey. The rangy guard made veteran James Harden expendable last season and was named the league's 2024 Kia ​​Most Improved Player and a first-time All-Star. He's skilled enough, young enough (he turns 24 on November 4th), confident enough and available enough to include Embiid and George as 2A and 2B as his arc continues.

“We know he's got a drive game,” Nurse said, “we know he's got a deep-3 game.” Then he needs to play a little more in the middle, I think that's one of his areas of growth. “

Maxey finished the game with 25 points but struggled for them, shooting 10 of 31 and 2 of 9 from 3. He has always been more efficient and will come back to that. Meanwhile, when he's on the floor with the basketball, the excitement he generates — the energy, the speed, the cuts — is not unlike what Dolphins fullback Tyreek Hill generates on the football field.

4. Milwaukee's depth could earn a capital D

The main reason for Maxey's ugly shooting performance was Bucks guard Gary Trent Jr., a valuable free agency signing known for his defensive tenacity. Trent made life as difficult as possible for the Sixers guard and gives Milwaukee a much better option to use strong scorers than last season.

Trent, Taurean Prince and Delon Wright should be an upgrade, especially on defense, rotation guys from last season like Malik Beasley, Pat Beverley and Jae Crowder.

“I’ve been doing this since I’ve been in the league,” Trent said. “I've been in the top 10 in steals and deflections the last two or three seasons.

“Our whole game plan was to make it difficult for (Maxey), starting with my pressure… Just maintaining the second try. An energy level. I keep going, whether it’s through illegal shields, people sticking their knees out, or Kyle Lowry getting in my way.”

The Bucks are also a great team, which is always illustrated by Brook Lopez, Bobby Portis and Antetokounmpo at the top. Nurse even chastised his boys a bit for daring to challenge Lopez, who started off well but came back quickly. He blocked six shots.

5. Sixers other A part-time center will help

With Embiid following the plan and having already said he likely won't play on both ends of a back-to-back schedule, the question of where those minutes go is significant. Luckily for Philadelphia, major signing Andre Drummond was an under-the-radar signing in July. Drummond, a 12-year veteran who is still only 31, has performed well in recent seasons (this is his second stint with the Sixers).

But over the last two years in Chicago, Drummond, supported by Nikola Vučević, averaged 17.4 points and 18.9 rebounds per 36 minutes. Those are prorated numbers higher than his first eight seasons in Detroit, when he was a two-time All-Star. Drummond had 10 points and 13 boards in 25 minutes on Wednesday.

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Steve Aschburner has been writing about the NBA since 1980. You can send him an email Herefind his archive here And Follow him on X.

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