Player grades: Joel Embiid, Sixers fall to Bucks on opening night

MILWAUKEE–The Philadelphia 76ers paid a visit to the new-look Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday to open the season looking to start off on the right foot. Despite the ongoing James Harden saga, the Sixers are a talented bunch and were looking to hand the Damian Lillard-Giannis Antetokounmpo duo a loss to begin the season.

The Sixers did have a tough time getting into offensive sets without Harden running things and they trailed by 19 early. They were able to work their way back into things, but Philadelphia ended up falling to the Bucks 118-117 on opening night. Reigning league MVP Joel Embiid had 24 points, seven rebounds, and six assists for the Sixers.

Tyrese Maxey had 31 points and eight assists to lead the Sixers, Kelly Oubre Jr. had 27 points off the bench, and Tobias Harris had 20 points and seven rebounds.

Here are the player grades following the loss:

In a first quarter where he looked a bit passive, Maxey got things going as the game went along. He had a big second quarter as he was able to get to the basket which led to him knocking down tough triples. When he is aggressive and looking for his offense, that leads to more success for the Sixers on that end of the floor. On the other end, he had a tough time with Lillard, as anybody really would, and the Sixers had a tough time really getting into offensive sets consistently. Overall, he didn’t shoot the ball well, but he did have stretches on offense where he was able to get a few buckets.

Mr. Do Something was a bit off with his shot in this one, but he was still able to find ways to contribute. He was active on defense and he was able to make plays with his passing and help on the glass. With that being said, the Sixers had trouble finding rhythm on the offensive end and that’s where the absence of Harden comes in. Neither Melton nor Maxey are true playmakers. While they are both terrific players, they don’t get the team into offensive sets like Harden can.

This game started with the Sixers posting Harris up for their first points of the game. That seemed to get him going a bit as he then was able to contribute on the glass and with his passing. There were also a few shots he passed up which can’t happen for him. That changed after halftime as Harris was aggressively looking for his own offense to help the Sixers cut into the lead. He needs to be aggressive on the offensive end for Philadelphia and take the open looks he gets.

It wasn’t a great night for Tucker. He wasn’t able to keep up with Milwaukee’s offensive weapons and he missed his corner 3s on the offensive end. He does deserve credit for his physical play on Antetokounmpo. He made life a bit tough on the offensive end for the Greek Freak. Overall, he was a non-factor outside of grabbing a few rebounds.

Blame it on only playing one preseason game or whatever you’d like, but Embiid looked a bit off to start this one. He looked like he was rushing things on offense and he was a step slow on defense. In the battle of the superstars, Antetokounmpo was constantly going to the basket and either scoring or getting fouled. Embiid was settling for jumpers. He was much better after halftime as he was playing with more force and playing like an MVP. He was getting into the paint, he found his rhythm on his jumpers, and he looked much more focused. Overall, he does need to be better going forward. The seven turnovers just are not acceptable and there was one in the fourth when he hung his head, was late getting back on defense, and Milwaukee got a 3 out of it from Jae Crowder.

The Sixers really needed a spark and that’s what Oubre Jr. provided. With the starters off to a slow start, Oubre Jr. hopped off the bench and pumped in some quick points. If it weren’t for his contributions, the Sixers would have been in a heap of trouble early. He scored 10 points in the opening quarter to keep Philadelphia in it. His overall offensive game helped keep the Sixers in the game and he was a big spark for this group.

Pat Bev scored his first Sixers bucket by getting into the paint and knocking down a floater. He did a good job in this one of being able to handle the ball and get the team settled down a bit when they needed it. The Sixers were able to get into a rhythm with him running things on offense.

It wasn’t a great night for Reed as he got hit with a couple of bad fouls on the defensive end which limited his effectiveness a bit. He seemed to be a bit out of sorts on the offensive end as well which cost the Sixers at times. He does get credit for making some nice passes from the high post.

The veteran missed a 3-pointer in his initial run and was a step slow on the defensive end. If he isn’t knocking down 3s, then it’s tough to justify playing him at the moment.

Getting the first real minutes of his NBA career, Springer was terrific on the defensive end. He blocked a Khris Middleton triple try and later blocked a Lillard alley-oop try. His energy was infectious on the defensive end.