The Philadelphia 76ers are 3-0, and Saturday night’s 127-116 win over the Milwaukee Bucks gave them another clear sign that this group can win in different ways.
Joel Embiid led the charge with 28 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for the 10th triple-double of his career, but this one was bigger than one star turn. Philadelphia got five players into double figures, and the scoring was spread out enough to keep Milwaukee from ever fully taking control.
That mattered even more because LeBron James was out for his first game of the season, sitting with lower back and sciatica management. The Sixers had already shown in their first two games that they could win with him. Against the Bucks, they proved they can still get it done without him, too.
Embiid handled a heavier playmaking load in James’ absence and finished with a season-high 10 assists. VJ Edgecombe also filled a different kind of gap, attacking the boards and pulling down a season-high 13 rebounds, including two on the offensive glass. In the scoring column, Embiid, Jaylen Brown and Tyrese Maxey did the heavy lifting with 28, 27 and 26 points, respectively.
Milwaukee may not look like a contender this season, but Philadelphia still banked a win that should matter inside the locker room. Knowing they can survive a night without their most accomplished player is a useful thing this early in the year.
Edgecombe’s night was just as important for another reason: his shot finally showed up. The second-year guard had opened the season ice-cold from deep, going 0-for-3 against the New York Knicks and then 1-of-4 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Against Milwaukee, he flipped the script and buried five of his 10 3-point tries, including two timely makes in the fourth quarter.
He looked much more comfortable on catch-and-shoot chances, and that kind of shooting will be essential if defenses are going to stay honest over the course of the season. On this night, Edgecombe delivered exactly that.
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Sixers Get A Huge Chance Against A Very Different Bucks Team
Milwaukee looks like a very different opponent than the one Philadelphia has spent years measuring itself against. After trading Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to Miami and folding four former Heat players into the rotation, the Bucks are still figuring out who they are, even as those newcomers have provided more than half of the teams scoring through the first two games.
For the 76ers, that creates a matchup with a little less familiarity but plenty of opportunity. Philadelphia has leaned on strong second halves and a clear edge in paint scoring in recent games, while Milwaukee has been vulnerable on the defensive end, giving the Sixers a chance to test whether their late-game push can travel against a roster still trying to settle in. [Read more 🡒]
Tyrese Maxey Still Looks Like The Player Driving Everything For Philly
Through the first two games of the regular season, Nick Nurse has made it clear where the 76ers want the ball to go. Tyrese Maxey has been the engine of the offense, leading Philadelphia in scoring and shot attempts in both contests while carrying the teams highest usage rate.
Even with the kind of star power that usually reshapes game plans, Nurse has leaned on Maxey as the primary creator and scorer. For Philly, that is the bigger takeaway right now: the offense is still being driven through a player whose role has only grown as the season gets underway. [Read more 🡒]
LeBron's Early 76ers Absence Creates A Bigger Question For Philly
LeBron James will not be on the floor for the 76ers, with the decision tied to a planned workload management call made by the medical staff, front office and his camp. Nick Nurse made clear the absence is not injury-related, which shifts the focus away from health concerns and toward how Philadelphia adjusts against a short-handed opponent in a game that still carries plenty of interest.
For Philly, the bigger issue is less about who is out and more about who has to absorb the extra responsibility. Nurse said other players are expected to step up in James's absence, with Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown among the names who could be asked to carry more of the load, while Tacko Fall, Dominick Barlow and Ariel Hukporti are also unavailable and Dean Wade was questionable before being cleared to play. [Read more 🡒]