Lillard and Antetokounmpo push the Bucks past the undermanned 76ers, 124-109

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Damian Lillard scored 30 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo added 25 and the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 124-109 in Wednesday night's season opener for both teams.

Lillard scored 15 points in the third quarter and finished the game with six 3-pointers, nine rebounds and five assists.

Antetokounmpo shot 8-for-11 from the floor and had a game-high 14 rebounds, while Milwaukee had six players score in double figures.

Taurean Prince and Bobby Portis each scored 16 points for the Bucks, including 16 3-pointers.

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Tyrese Maxey scored 25 points and Andre Drummond had 13 points and 11 rebounds for Philadelphia, which was without injured stars Joel Embiid and Paul George, who are out with knee injuries.

FAN REACTIONS

Many expressed disappointment in the 76ers' loss to the Bucks on Wednesday night.

“I wish the Sixers had done better, but they still did their best. So break up with the Sixers,” said Norhi Goodman of Lawnside, New Jersey.

Fans said things got even worse when officials announced that Embiid and George would not be on the court for the team's first game of the season.

“I was excited until I found out Embiid wasn’t playing. I knew George wasn't going to play because he was injured, but when I bought those tickets two months ago we spent a lot of money,” noted Sidney Steinberg of Williamstown. New Jersey.

Despite the heavy defeat, fans hope that the team will turn things around soon.

“We have to keep our heads up – we have a long season ahead of us. We got started, but we'll bounce right back once we get Embiid and Paul George out there,” said Kevin Mcnicholas of Paterson, New Jersey.

souvenir

Bucks: Lillard and Brook Lopez played against Philly frequently. The picks were extended beyond the 3-point line. Several of Lopez's picks were placed on or near the half court, giving Lillard a combination of time and space to generate offense.

76ers: Guerschon Yabusele played his first game in the NBA since 2019. After playing internationally for five seasons, Yabusele gave the 76ers 10 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals in 25 minutes.

KEY MOMENT

Milwaukee used a 25-12 run within six minutes of the second quarter to pull away. Bobby Portis was a key figure for the Bucks during this time. On consecutive plays, Portis blocked a shot, grabbed a defensive rebound, assisted Taurean Prince on a layup, picked up a steal and scored on a running layup.

KEY STATUS

Lillard and Antetokounmpo became the first Bucks teammates to record at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists in a season opener.

NEXT

The Bucks have their home opener against Chicago on Friday. That same night, Philadelphia travels to Toronto.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.