(SportsNetwork.com) – The Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks, the two
worst teams in the Eastern Conference last season, will meet Friday night at
the Bradley Center.
The Bucks’ home-opener Friday comes after a heart-breaking, 108-106 overtime
loss Wednesday night in Charlotte against the Hornets.
The Bucks squandered a 24-point third-quarter cushion when Charlotte’s Kemba
Walker made a 3-pointer to tie the contest with 1.6 seconds left. Walker then
won the game for the Hornets thanks to a jumper with 5.1 ticks on the clock.
Milwaukee, coming off a league-worst 15-67 campaign, played well for much of
the night under new head coach Jason Kidd before wilting down the stretch.
Brandon Knight totaled 22 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds in a losing
cause, with Khris Middleton and O.J. Mayo each tallying 17 points for the
Bucks.
Larry Sanders and Giannis Antetokounmpo both finished with 10 points in
defeat.
Jabari Parker had a quiet NBA debut, however, managing just eight points and
four rebounds in 37 minutes in the Milwaukee rookie and former Duke star’s
return to the Carolinas.
“It was everything I expected, two great teams going down to the wire,” Parker
said. “The better team won today, but we’re going to get better.”
The Sixers, who owned the second-worst mark in the NBA last season, started
the 2014-15 campaign with a 103-91 setback at Bankers Life Fieldhouse to the
Indiana Pacers.
Philadelphia was without Michael Carter-Williams, the reigning Rookie of the
Year, who is on the shelf after offseason shoulder surgery. Joel Embiid, taken
third overall in June, has a foot injury and will most likely miss the season,
and Dario Saric, who the team traded for on draft night, has a two-year
contract overseas.
It looks like another long season ahead for the Sixers.
“We’re not worried about what’s on paper. They put the ball out there for a
reason, to play 48 minutes,” guard Tony Wroten said. “Every game, we come out
to play hard and try to win.”
Wroten ended with 22 points, eight boards, seven assists and three steals for
the Sixers, who went 19-63 last season. Alexey Shved, who came to Philly in a
deal for Thaddeus Young, tallied 18 points.
Nerlens Noel had six points, 10 rebounds and three blocks in his NBA debut.
Noel was acquired on draft night in 2013 and sat all of last season to heal
from a torn ACL.
The Bucks won two of three meetings against the Sixers last season, and have
taken three in a row and six of the last seven as the host in this series.
