76ers, Bucks clash in season opener
The Philadelphia 76ers hit the road to face the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum on Thursday evening in the season opener for both teams.
The Bucks finished first in the Eastern Conference last season with a 58-24 record, but were unceremoniously bounced out of the first round of the playoffs by Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat in five games. The Bucks were without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo for two of those games with a back injury, but it was enough of a disappointment for the team to make two major changes in the offseason. First, Mike Budenholzer was fired as the head coach after five seasons and replaced with Adrian Griffin, who spent the past five seasons with the Toronto Raptors as an assistant. Second, the Bucks acquired seven-time All-Star point guard Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Jrue Holiday – who was flipped to the Boston Celtics days later – a 2029 first-round pick and two first-round pick swaps. The Bucks are expected to field a starting lineup of Lillard, Malik Beasley, Khris Middleton, Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez.
The 76ers finished third in the Eastern Conference with a 54-28 record and their success was in large part due to Joel Embiid, who won MVP honors for the 2022-23 season averaging 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 66 games and shot a career-best 54.8 percent from the field. Embiid and the 76ers were minutes away from advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals, however they were unable to close out game six at home before losing to Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics in game seven. Like the Bucks, the 76ers fired head coach Doc Rivers after three seasons and replaced him with former Raptors head coach Nick Nurse. That wasn’t the biggest storyline of the 76ers’ offseason, however, with former MVP James Harden’s future with the team up in the air after disagreements over a contract extension arose with president of basketball operations Daryl Morey. Harden is not traveling with the team in their first two road games of the season, and if he’s held out longer, the team will rely on fourth-year guard Tyrese Maxey – who averaged a career-high 20.3 points per game last season – to step up as the No. 2 option behind Embiid.
The Bucks and 76ers split the 2022-23 season series 2-2, with three of the four contests being decided by three points or less.
The Bucks finished first in the Eastern Conference last season with a 58-24 record, but were unceremoniously bounced out of the first round of the playoffs by Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat in five games. The Bucks were without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo for two of those games with a back injury, but it was enough of a disappointment for the team to make two major changes in the offseason. First, Mike Budenholzer was fired as the head coach after five seasons and replaced with Adrian Griffin, who spent the past five seasons with the Toronto Raptors as an assistant. Second, the Bucks acquired seven-time All-Star point guard Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Jrue Holiday – who was flipped to the Boston Celtics days later – a 2029 first-round pick and two first-round pick swaps. The Bucks are expected to field a starting lineup of Lillard, Malik Beasley, Khris Middleton, Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez.
The 76ers finished third in the Eastern Conference with a 54-28 record and their success was in large part due to Joel Embiid, who won MVP honors for the 2022-23 season averaging 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 66 games and shot a career-best 54.8 percent from the field. Embiid and the 76ers were minutes away from advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals, however they were unable to close out game six at home before losing to Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics in game seven. Like the Bucks, the 76ers fired head coach Doc Rivers after three seasons and replaced him with former Raptors head coach Nick Nurse. That wasn’t the biggest storyline of the 76ers’ offseason, however, with former MVP James Harden’s future with the team up in the air after disagreements over a contract extension arose with president of basketball operations Daryl Morey. Harden is not traveling with the team in their first two road games of the season, and if he’s held out longer, the team will rely on fourth-year guard Tyrese Maxey – who averaged a career-high 20.3 points per game last season – to step up as the No. 2 option behind Embiid.
The Bucks and 76ers split the 2022-23 season series 2-2, with three of the four contests being decided by three points or less.
Suns Look To Build Off WIn
By Dan Bruno
The Los Angeles Lakers play host to the Phoenix Suns at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday evening.
The Lakers (0-1) fell short in a hard-fought matchup on the road against the Nuggets in their season opener. LeBron James led the team with 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists and a steal, in 29 minutes of action. Taurean Prince followed up with 18 points, three rebounds and a block, while Anthony Davis added 17 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two blocks. The Lakers shot 45.6 percent from the field, including 10-of-29 from deep in the loss and had it down to the a three-point game early in the fourth, but they could not get the job done. They will look to bounce back against the Suns, who were on the winning side of a tough matchup in their opener, on Tuesday. The Lakers went 2-2 against the Suns in their season series last year.
Meanwhile, the Suns (1-0) pulled together to topple the Warriors in Golden State in their season opener. Devin Booker put on a stellar performance with 32 points on 13-of-21 shooting, six rebounds, eight assists and a steal. Kevin Durant followed up with 18 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and a block, while Josh Okogie added 17 points, five rebounds and a steal. Newly-added jusuf Nurkic looked strong in his debut with the team, as he finished with 14 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and a block, in the win. Bradley Beal (back) did not play on Tuesday and remains questionable for action against the Lakers. This marks the second game of a two-game road trip to begin the season for the Suns.
The Lakers (0-1) fell short in a hard-fought matchup on the road against the Nuggets in their season opener. LeBron James led the team with 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists and a steal, in 29 minutes of action. Taurean Prince followed up with 18 points, three rebounds and a block, while Anthony Davis added 17 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two blocks. The Lakers shot 45.6 percent from the field, including 10-of-29 from deep in the loss and had it down to the a three-point game early in the fourth, but they could not get the job done. They will look to bounce back against the Suns, who were on the winning side of a tough matchup in their opener, on Tuesday. The Lakers went 2-2 against the Suns in their season series last year.
Meanwhile, the Suns (1-0) pulled together to topple the Warriors in Golden State in their season opener. Devin Booker put on a stellar performance with 32 points on 13-of-21 shooting, six rebounds, eight assists and a steal. Kevin Durant followed up with 18 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and a block, while Josh Okogie added 17 points, five rebounds and a steal. Newly-added jusuf Nurkic looked strong in his debut with the team, as he finished with 14 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and a block, in the win. Bradley Beal (back) did not play on Tuesday and remains questionable for action against the Lakers. This marks the second game of a two-game road trip to begin the season for the Suns.