76ers: Three Takeaways from Season Opener vs. Bucks

The 76ers open their season off with a close loss to the Bucks, what could they take from it.

On Thursday night, the Philadelphia 76ers fell to the Milwaukee Bucks, 117-118, in their season opener.

The story surrounding the match was that of Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo's regular season debut, as they took on a James Harden-less Sixers lineup, after The Beard did not travel with the team.

Despite not having the ten-time All-Star, the Sixers held their own as Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and Kelly Oubre Jr kept the game close, combining for a total of 15 makes from the field throughout the second half, nearly inspiring a come from behind win.

In regards for the Bucks' new partnership, they combined for 62 points, with Damian Lillard's step-back three from 30 feet out nearly putting the game out of reach for Philadelphia late in the fourth.

Key Takeaways From Loss vs. Bucks

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Tyrese Maxey Can Be Trusted

While James Harden remains back in Philadelphia as he continues to ramp up his return to first team basketball, Maxey can be trusted to be pick up his slack.

Throughout Thursday night's match, Maxey could be seen using his speed and his accuracy from deep to cut into the Bucks' lead throughout the second half, ending the game with 31 points and eight assists.

Pair this offensive masterclass with his 12 assist night against Atlanta in the preseason, and it's clear that the 22-year-old can more than live up to expectations.

Joel Embiid Is Still Ramping Up

Beyond being his first game of the season, Thursday's night match was only Joel Embiid's second game back into Sixers', after missing the first three games of the preseason.

Just as he did in the preseason finale against the Atlanta Hawks, Embiid struggled to score and find success in the first half before ramping up in the second half, ending Thursday night with 24 points and seven rebounds.

Perhaps the biggest lapse in the defending-MVP's bag was his free-throw shooting, missing an uncharacteristic five shots throughout the night, when he averaged ten makes from the stripe last season.

Limit Damian Lillard Where You Can

If it wasn't Lillard's efficiency from the field that hurt the Sixers on Thursday night, it was his countless trips to the free throw line.

Philadelphia's defense allowed him to get to the stripe 17 times last night, with some of these trips coming on the end of a three point shot, as was the case in the second quarter when Jaden Springer appeared to make contact with his hip prior to the shot.

In their future matches against Lillard and the Bucks, if the Sixers are able to keep his trips to the line limited, as they did to his three point shots on Thursday, they might be able to make the difference up.