Bucks injury report vs 76ers: Giannis Antetokounmpo's status for ...

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Bucks injury report vs 76ers Giannis Antetokounmpos status for

“I've been waiting for it since not making the playoffs last year and being home since May,” said new Bucks shooting guard Gary Trent Jr. "So getting an"...

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Bucks reporter Jim Owczarski talks season opener, Middleton injury

As the Milwaukee Bucks kick off the start of the season, it appears they'll be without Khris Middleton. Jim Owczarski previews what's ahead.

PHILADELPHIS – The Milwaukee Bucks went into Philadelphia on Wednesday night and handled the 76ers 124-109 at the Wells Fargo Center, leading by as many as 22 points in the second half of a physical season opener.

Damian Lillard led the Bucks with 30 points while Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 23 and had 14 rebounds. Taurean Prince (16) and Bobby Portis Jr. (16) also scored in double figures.

Philadelphia (0-1) was without Joel Embiid and Paul George, but despite having five players reach double figures they shot just over 40% from the floor overall and under 30% from behind the three-point line with the regulars in the game.

BOX SCORE: Bucks 124, 76ers 109

Milwaukee on the other hand shot 54.7% from the floor and 44.1% from behind the three-point line while their regulars were in the game.

The Bucks (1-0) host Chicago for their home opener Friday night at Fiserv Forum.

Here are three takeaways from the Bucks season opener:

Bucks use size to overpower 76ers

Philadelphia was without center Joel Embiid (7-0) and forward Paul George (6-8), which shifted backup center Andre Drummond into the starting lineup and left the team with only Guerschon Yabusele as the only other regular at 6-8 or taller. That meant the 76ers were trying to slow Brook Lopez (7-1), Giannis Antetokounmpo (7-0) and Bobby Portis (6-10) with players who were giving up sometimes six to seven inches in height.

Lopez scored 10 points and was a menace defensively, blocking six shots and affecting handfuls of others. Lopez also cleared the way for his teammates to defensive rebounds and finish possessions. And the best the 76ers could do with Antetokounmpo and Portis was to clutch, grab, hold, pull and push to slow the two scorers down. It was effective enough – the officials allowed the game to be played very physically – but the Bucks just overpowered the short-handed hosts.

That included using that size to free up point guard Damian Lillard, who made 6 of his 12 three-pointers.

On the night, Antetokounmpo drew 11 fouls, Lopez four and Portis one.

Giannis and Damian Lillard dominate 76ers

Heading into the start of the regular season, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers felt that his two stars were in a much better place playing together than they were a year ago. That chemistry was on display early, as the two paired off with some smooth pick-and-roll plays (regardless of if a basket was made), along with a more natural looking understanding of each other’s space when on the court together.

Antetokounmpo scored 23 points on just 11 shots and he made 9 of his 16 free throws. Lillard started slowly, but finished with 30 points on 9-of-19 shooting.

Within that, the two pair also used the attention they drew to hand out 13 combined assists.

Trent, Prince make impact in Bucks debut

Taurean Prince started in place of an injured Khris Middleton, and the forward made his first four catch-and-shoot three-pointers and opened the game 5 for 5 from the floor in scoring 14 points in 19 minutes in helping the Bucks build a double-digit lead in the third quarter. He finished with 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting and pulled down five rebounds and had three assists.

Gary Trent Jr. is the team’s new starting shooting guard, but he drew the night’s toughest defensive assignment in Philadelphia’s all-star guard Tyrese Maxey. Trent pestered Maxey all night, staying on his hip around screens, using his 6-9 wingspan to keep the 76ers star off balance to the tune of 21 missed shots. It took Maxey 31 field goal attempts to score 25 points, just the type of inefficient night the Bucks needed to put the shorthanded 76ers away.

On the other end, Trent added 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting.

Did you notice?

At the 7:41 mark of the second quarter Bucks forward Pat Connaughton skied in for a dunk off a Portis assist to give the Bucks a 33-31 lead. On the surface it may not seem like much, but Connaughton had just eight dunks each of the last two seasons. He had 29 the year he was a participant in the 2020 all-star slam dunk contest, but over the last four seasons he’s been a bit more ground bound. At least in the opener, Connaughton was able to get to the basket as a cutter.

Five numbers

6: Blocked shots forLopez. He swatted six shots on seven different occasions last season.
27: Assists for the Bucks on 43 made field goals.
70: Percent shooting for Portis (7 for 10). The Sixth Man of the Year candidate had a hot-shooting preseason and that carried over into the regular season opener.
21-9: Run in the second quarter for the Bucks that broke a 33-33 tie and gave them a 54-42 lead.
2008: Draft class of Bucks center Brook Lopez and 76ers center Andre Drummond and guard Eric Gordon. All three started on Wednesday night. Denver guard Russell Westbrook is the only other player from that class currently playing in the NBA.

What TV channel is the Bucks game on?

The Bucks open the season on national television, as the game will be broadcast on ESPN. Mike Breen, Doris Burke, Richard Jefferson and Cassidy Hubbarth will be on the call.

Analysis: Should the Milwaukee Bucks actually have championship expectations?

What is the latest on Khris Middleton?

The three-time all-star has yet to practice in a five-on-five setting, so Middleton was ruled out for the season opener. Beginning Wednesday night, the Bucks will play four games in four cities over six days, so finding practice time may be difficult for the forward to be cleared for game action.

"Listen, like in the playoffs, you want everybody to be healthy. You just do," Rivers said of the some of the game's stars being unavailable to play. "That's the nature of the game. We don't have Khris Middleton tonight. So, there's injuries all around. It just seems like there are more injuries now than there were in the past. We have to figure that out and I think everybody's trying to do that."

Are Joel Embiid and Paul George playing for 76ers?

No. The 76ers ruled their MVP center and newly signed all-star out for the game. Embiid is still recovering from an offseason knee issue that came up after the Olympics while George injured a knee in a preseason game.

Embiid had said during the preseason he will not play in back-to-back games this season and had already been ruled out for the first three games of this season -- which perhaps prompted an NBA investigation into his health. ESPN reported before the game the league was going to look into whether or not the 76ers have violated the player participation policy.

"I don't care one way or the other. Obviously I'm not coaching here so it's not a concern for me. But, whatever works for Joel is what you have to do. You can't worry about the noise. If that's going to work and that makes him healthy for the playoffs, I don't think there's a person that wouldn't sign on for that. If it works or not I can't give you the answer to that."