The Sixers walk into their third game of the 2026-27 regular season carrying a perfect record, a huge comeback win, and a few warning signs that could matter once the games tighten up.
Philadelphia is 2-0 after erasing a 29-point deficit against the Cavaliers, a rally that stood as the team’s largest comeback in 38 years and the biggest of LeBron James’ career. Through those first two games, Tyrese Maxey has been the engine, averaging 30 points, 5.5 assists and 2.5 steals per night while pacing the Sixers in scoring.
The numbers behind the 2-0 start are a little messier than the record. Philadelphia has shot just 26.5% from three-point range, which ranks 24th in the league so far this season.
Saturday’s matchup brings a Bucks team that looks very different from the one the Sixers have seen before. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis are in Miami, four former Heat players have joined Milwaukee’s rotation, and Taylor Jenkins is now the head coach after replacing Doc Rivers. The Bucks have opened the season with losses to the Wizards and Bulls.
Philadelphia will also be without James for this one, along with Dominick Barlow, Tacko Fall and Ariel Hukporti. Dean Wade is questionable.
There’s also a scheduling wrinkle in play. The Sixers begin a back-to-back Saturday, while Milwaukee finishes one at Xfinity Mobile Arena after playing its home opener Friday night.
It’s still early, and two games don’t tell the whole story about what the Bucks will become this season. But they do give the Sixers a chance to keep the momentum rolling and move to 3-0.
Pregame Live starts at 7:00 p.m. ET.
In Other News...
Jaylen Brown Keeps Sixers Fans Watching This Celtics Drama
Even after the Celtics have moved on to other business, the Jaylen Brown-Jayson Tatum storyline still has a way of finding an audience in Philadelphia. Browns latest response to Tatums insistence that there is no animosity between them only added another layer to a relationship that has followed both players beyond Boston, especially now that Brown is wearing Sixers colors and any friction between the two is suddenly relevant to a different fan base.
Brown did not exactly close the door on the subject, instead pointing to Tatums public relations team and stopping short of saying he wants to clear the air privately. The bigger mystery is still the same one hanging over the exchange: the two stars have different versions of how much Tatum knew about Browns move from the Celtics to the Sixers, and neither has laid out the full story. For Sixers fans, it is a reminder that this is not just old Celtics drama. It is a subplot tied directly to one of their most prominent players. [Read more 🡒]
Nets 0-2 Start Still Brought A Promising Sign Fans Needed
Even in a 0-2 start, Brooklyn has had at least one encouraging development to point to, and it has come from the kind of young talent that can keep a fan base engaged through the early grind of a season. Egor Demin and Mikel Brown Jr. both showed flashes that suggested the Nets may have something worth building on, even if the results have not followed yet.
For a Philadelphia team watching the East unfold around it, that kind of early growth across the conference matters, especially with Joel Embiid set to miss a game while managing plantar fasciitis. The Sixers have their own health concerns to track, and while the Nets are still searching for their first win, the emergence of a couple of promising pieces gives Brooklyn at least one reason to stay patient. [Read more 🡒]
Jaylen Brown Just Added Real Heat To The Sixers Celtics Rivalry
Jaylen Brown has given the 76ers-Celtics rivalry a little extra edge before the season even gets rolling. Brown, now on Philadelphias side of the ledger, weighed in on Jayson Tatums reaction to Brown being traded to the Sixers and suggested his former Celtics teammate was not fully candid about it. The comments only add to a relationship that has long carried more complexity than the usual former-teammates reunion.
Now the spotlight shifts to the calendar, with Philadelphia and Boston set to see each other multiple times in the regular season and the first meeting coming Nov. 10. Brown also told Tatum to stay ready, which is the kind of line that tends to linger when two stars with a complicated history are headed for repeated head-to-head matchups. For the Sixers, it turns a familiar Eastern Conference showdown into something with a little more personal bite. [Read more 🡒]