The start of the 2022-23 NBA schedule for the Philadelphia 76ers was a daunting one. They traveled to take on the Boston Celtics on opening night before hosting the Milwaukee Bucks for their home opener.
Unfortunately for them, they have yet to get into the win column.
Milwaukee went into the Wells Fargo Center and picked up a hard-fought victory. This was a throwback game of sorts, as the Bucks won a low-scoring affair, 90-88. They controlled the game throughout, opening up a lead as large as 13 points. Philadelphia’s largest lead was only two.
This was an impressive victory for the Bucks as they are without multiple key rotation players. Khris Middleton is recovering from surgery on his wrist and Joe Ingles is recovering from ACL surgery in June. Pat Connaughton is dealing with a calf injury, further depleting the wing depth.
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The 76ers were unable to take advantage, dropping their record to 0-2 on the season. There are certainly some kinks to work out in the City of Brotherly Love, as a short-handed Bucks team should not control a road game in the fashion that they did.
Let’s take a look at some of the major takeaways from the game Thursday evening.
Vintage James Harden
Coming into the season, there was a lot of focus on James Harden. He did not look good last season with the Brooklyn Nets, but many thought it was because of the circumstances surrounding the franchise. After being traded to the 76ers, it was assumed better days were ahead but he continued to struggle. A nagging hamstring injury ailed him for months.
This offseason he was able to rehab and get healthy. Some people believed he was on the downside of his career, but he has shown that he just needed to get his body right as there was plenty left in the tank. Through two games, he has been far and away the best 76er.
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Against the Bucks, he was the only player to find consistent success. Harden shot 13-of-24 from the field and 4-of-4 from the foul line en route to a 31-point performance. He also grabbed eight rebounds, handed out nine assists, recorded two steals and even had one block in an excellent all-around game.
This is the kind of performance Philadelphia was hoping would come last season and help push the team into the postseason. But, better late than never, as the organization has to love what they are seeing. Now they just need to get Joel Embiid back on track.
Giannis Is Coming For Another MVP
There were some concerns about how the Milwaukee Bucks would navigate the early part of the regular season. They are going to be without key parts of their roster for a few weeks at a minimum, putting a lot of pressure on other players to step up. However, when one of those players is Giannis Antetokounmpo, you are in good hands.
The two-time MVP came into this season in incredible shape. He played with Greece in EuroBasket and videos were shown of him working tirelessly on his game. His status as the best player in the world was being cemented and he showed why that lofty praise is deserving once again.
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In the season opener, he scored a team-high 21 points on a tidy 9-of-16 from the field. He also grabbed 13 rebounds to go along with eight assists, one steal and three blocks as he got the job done on both ends of the court for the Bucks.
While Mike Budenholzer will certainly keep an eye on Antetokounmpo’s minutes, just as he does everyone else knowing the end goal that the team has, it has to be reassuring to know that he can carry the team on his back for any span of time.
76ers Need Bench Production
The season is only two games old, but there is already a troubling trend beginning in Philadelphia. Daryl Morey went out and added multiple pieces to the team’s bench, hoping to upgrade the second unit and improve the team’s overall depth. However, through two games, their bench has been thoroughly beaten.
The Boston Celtics took full advantage in Game 1, as they had two players individually outscore the 76ers’ bench. It happened again on Thursday, as Doc Rivers essentially cut the rotation to only seven players with Danuel House Jr. and De’Anthony Melton the only players receiving real minutes off the bench.
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They both played well, but it is too early in the season to be coaching in that fashion, pushing every starter to at least 33 minutes is a dangerous game to be playing. Rivers needs to find a combination that works coming off the bench, otherwise, they are going to struggle to win games consistently.
The Bucks, on the other hand, turned to Jordan Nwora to pick up the slack with players sidelined and he played well. Veterans George Hill and Wesley Matthews also answered the bell, while Bobby Portis showed that he could be a factor in the Sixth Man of the Year race as long as he isn’t needed in the starting lineup.
