October 25, 2026 at 3:14 AM UTC

Postgame Report

Embiid, Brown and Maxey Cover for James as 76ers Beat Bucks 127-116

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With LeBron James sitting to manage his back, Philadelphia's three stars combined for 81 points and the 76ers moved to 3-0 with an 11-point win over Milwaukee.

LeBron James watched in street clothes Saturday night, and the 76ers did not seem to need him. They beat the Bucks 127-116 at home. James was held out to manage low back pain and sciatica, a status that went from questionable to ruled out before tip-off.

The win made Philadelphia 3-0. The 76ers had opened 2-0 by coming back from 29 down to beat Cleveland 114-106, and they carried some of that resilience into this one. Milwaukee got 21 points from Jaime Jaquez Jr. and double-doubles from Kel'el Ware (19 points, 13 rebounds) and Kyle Kuzma (14 and 12), but it never solved the problem of three Philadelphia scorers at once.

The absence was felt on paper more than on the floor. James had averaged 15.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists through two games, and those numbers are hard to replace. Still, the caution made sense. Sciatica cost him the first 14 games of last season, and Saturday was the first night of Philadelphia's first back-to-back and its third game in five days. Sitting him looked planned rather than reactive.

The offense went through the players expected to carry it. Joel Embiid had 28 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in 36 minutes. Jaylen Brown scored 27 and Tyrese Maxey 26, also playing 36. VJ Edgecombe added 17 points and 13 rebounds, a double-double from a spot where the 76ers could have used just the minutes. Milwaukee's bench scored plenty, but Myles Turner went scoreless in 20 minutes, and the Bucks never got closer than the gap Philadelphia's top three kept open.

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