The Bucks move past the exhausted Sixers to open the NBA season

Damian Lillard scored 30 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 25 as the Milwaukee Bucks cruised to a 124-109 victory over the injury-depleted Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA season opener for both teams on Wednesday.

The Sixers simply couldn't keep up with the Bucks without Joel Embiid and offseason addition Paul George, who had 16 points from Taurean Prince and 13 off the bench from Bobby Portis.

Embiid, the Cameroon-born big man who helped the United States win Olympic gold in Paris, missed the entire preseason due to his surgically repaired left knee. The Sixers announced Tuesday that he will miss the first week of the regular season, while George, a nine-time All-Star, delayed his Philadelphia debut due to a bone bruise in his left knee before the season.

A strong start from Philadelphia's Tyrese Maxey and a vigorous attack on the offensive glass ensured the Sixers had a one-point lead after the first quarter.

But Lillard and the Bucks found their groove, Lillard's three-pointer midway through the second quarter giving Milwaukee a 36-33 lead and his driving finger-roll layup increasing the lead to 58-45 with 33.4 seconds left in the first half.

Milwaukee led 58-47 at halftime and extended the lead to as many as 22 after halftime.

Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Antetokounmpo showed no signs of the knee tendonitis that plagues him, posting 14 rebounds and seven assists.

No. 1 draft pick Zaccharie Risacher of France had a promising start to his rookie season with the Atlanta Hawks' 120-116 win over the Brooklyn Nets.

The 19-year-old from France came on as a substitute late in the first quarter and sank a three-pointer from the floor on his first attempt. He finished with seven points for Atlanta, which was led by Trae Young with 30 points.

Young also had 12 assists and Onyeka Okongwu scored a career-high 28 points for the Hawks.

Cam Thomas scored 36 points to lead the Nets, but Spaniard Jordi Fernandez suffered a loss in his first game as an NBA head coach.

– Pacers top pistons –

A new season brought a familiar feeling of weakness for the Detroit Pistons, who jumped to an eight-point fourth-quarter lead against Indiana, but the Pacers fought back for a 115-109 win.

Myles Turner scored 20 points and Bennedict Mathurin scored 14 of his 19 points in the final period as the Pacers outscored the Pistons 33-19 and took control.

It was a dream return for Mathurin, whose 2023-24 season was cut short by a shoulder injury that required surgery in March.

“When you stop playing for seven months, you realize how blessed I am,” Mathurin said. “I’m just really happy that we got the win tonight.”

Pascal Siakam added 19 points and Tyrese Haliburton had 15 for Indiana, including a three-pointer that increased the Pacers' lead to 113-107 with 20.8 seconds left.

Haliburton, who indulged in a celebratory dance, added five rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots for the Pacers, who lost to eventual champion Boston in the Eastern Conference finals last season.

The Pistons are hoping to put last season behind them, the worst season in the league at 14-68. But new coach JB Bickerstaff's tenure began with another defeat.

Cade Cunningham scored 28 points and added eight assists to lead Detroit, which led by 12 points early in the third quarter.

Jaden Ivey scored 17 points and free agent acquisition Tobias Harris 13, while six Detroit players scored in double figures in the loss.

“I thought our guys did a really good job, they fought hard,” Bickerstaff said.

BB/RCW