The 76ers are outwardly optimistic.

Despite being without All-Stars Joel Embiid and Paul George, their teammates still believe they can have a successful start this season.

“It's a matter of everyone knowing their role and trying to do their best,” said Eric Gordon. “And also to get used to the team even better. Because when boys are on the move, you always have to worry about the long-term nature of it all.

“I know PG and Embiid are out. But we have to worry about the long-term goal and understand that we will still have a good team all year long.”

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But in the short term, the Sixers appear to be a team in trouble. The undermanned team suffered a 124-109 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in their season opener on Wednesday at the Wells Fargo Center.

Bucks All-Star point guard Damian Lillard made six three-pointers en route to a game-high 30 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Lillard scored 15 of his points while going 4-for-4 on three-pointers in the third quarter. Following his lead, the Bucks made 9 of 12 three-point shots in the quarter and built a commanding 22-point lead.

Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo added 25 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists. Brook Lopez had a game-high 10 points, eight rebounds and six assists with six blocks to go. Taurean Prince (16 points) and sixth man Bobby Portis (16) also scored in double figures.

Tyrese Maxey led the Sixers with 25 points. However, the All-Star point guard made just 10 of 31 shots and went 2-9 on threes. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 21 points. Andre Drummond (10 points, 13 rebounds) and backups Kyle Lowry (13 points), Caleb Martin (12 points, nine rebounds, three assists) and Guerschon Yabusele (10 points) were the Sixers' other double-digit scorers.

The Sixers were doomed that night by poor shooting and lackluster perimeter defense.

They shot 41.8% – including missed 23 of 31 three-point shots – while the Bucks shot 16-for-37 from beyond the three-point line. This night was supposed to be different for the Sixers, but without George and Embiid, they were no match for the Bucks. George was sidelined with a bone bruise on his left knee, while Embiid missed the game for what the Sixers called what the Sixers called a left knee injury.

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The All-Star center will remain sidelined for the upcoming road trip against the Toronto Raptors (Friday) and Indiana Pacers (Sunday). He will be re-evaluated this weekend.

Meanwhile, George will continue his activities on the pitch this week. The Sixers want to see him practice a few times before his return. The matchup against the Pacers would be an ideal date for a return.

Without their duo, the Sixers started Oubre, KJ Martin, Drummond, Gordon and Maxey.

“You're probably asking Caleb Martin, 'Where would he be in there?'” coach Nick Nurse said before the game. “And he is undoubtedly one of our five best players. I just like the feel of his energy off the bench as opposed to what he gave us.”

Caleb Martin still played the starting minutes. Nurse even brought him into the starting lineup at the start of the second half. He is expected to play a key role in the Sixers' rotation even after Embiid and George return.

But on Wednesday, much of the attention for the Sixers moved off the court and shifted to the NBA, which was preparing to launch an investigation into the franchise later this week. The league will look for possible violations of the league's player involvement guidelines.

The team was also criticized for not being transparent about Embiid's injury. And Nurse was asked on the second day whether Embiid had re-injured his knee while competing in the Paris Olympics.

“The (ramp-up) plan is the reason he’s not playing,” Nurse said. “He didn’t get injured again. But the plan is that we don't feel like he's quite ready, strong enough, light enough. Whatever it is, they've determined he's not quite ready to go yet. He was not involved in any dispute in court etc. And that’s the plan.”