The Philadelphia 76ers vs Milwaukee Bucks season opener was a sight. Mainly because of the dream duo, Giannis-Dame matchup. Though Damian Lillard started slow, he picked up pace in halftime. The Bucks fans were treated to a wonderful appetizer of what is to come soon.

The game ended with the Bucks’ 118-117 victory over the Sixers. Of course, Harden was not on the court and it was up to Embiid to take the team forward. Though the 76ers put up a good fight, Dame Time didn’t allow them for a breather.

Damian Lillard opens up about the opening night

In the post-game media conference, Damian, along with Coach Griffin talks about their first victory on opening night. Lillard is comfortable at the Bucks now.

“I don’t take it for granted … everybody knows what I do and who I am, and they are, you know, leaving that space for me to do it.”

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The Bucks’s ultimate decision to get Dame, come hell or high water, was exactly for these reasons. Earlier, it was solely Giannis’s responsibility to get the Bucks to a safe net when their offense was declining. But with Lillard’s arrival, he either extended Philly’s defense near half-court or created one for himself.

The scores themselves are proof of how much at ease Giannis is. While Damian dazzled the crowd with 39 points, Antetokounmpo scored 23. And he was happy. After all, not soon after Dame arrived in Milwaukee, Giannis made a very viral comment about how the Bucks are now “Lillard’s team”. Watching tonight’s opener, it certainly looked like the Greek Freak was happy with the latest arrangements.

But none of this happiness remotely reflected on Joel Embiid’s Sixers.

“We could have won tonight”: Embiid’s misgivings post-game

Philly lost to the Bucks by just one point, so yeah, Embiid is right. They could have won. But the reigning MVP’s night is a gloomy one. Though nobody says it out loud, Harden’s presence could have turned the tables on Milwaukee.

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Joel Embiid scored 24 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 7 turnovers in tonight’s game. They were by no means weak opponents. Tyrese Maxey’s foul shots got them a 102-94 lead over the Bucks with 6 minutes and 47 seconds remaining. Ultimately, Milwaukee’s latest weapon, Dame smothered their flame. As Embiid said, “We could have won tonight. But I didn’t do a good enough job, and I’ll be better.” 

One noteworthy shot was Lillard’s step-back 3-pointer over Kelly Oubre Jr. that gave the Bucks 116-11 lead with 1 minute and 13 seconds left. We have to remind ourselves that the step-back 3-pointers are Harden’s signature move. In the 2018-19 season alone, Harden had made 613 step-backs. So, to get the taste of their own medicine is a tough pill to swallow.

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It is only the first game of the season. Do you think James Harden will make an appearance in the coming games, though?